Last Updated on July 2, 2025, 3:23 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew has announced new reforms for the Citizenship by Investment Programme of the country. During the radio interview, Dr Drew highlighted that the reforms will help them in improving transparency, security, and global trust.
The changes that the Prime Minister announced as part of the revamp of the CBI Programmes of the country include:
- “mandatory residency requirement” for all applicants.
- Biometric screening will be required of all.
The Prime Minister claimed that these changes to the country’s CBI Programme will be presented to the parliament soon. He also took the opportunity to clarify that the changes are not in response to the international pressures.
Dr Terrance Drew has announced that these changes and reforms will help in ensuring long-term sustainability and global acknowledgement of the CBI programme.
Dr Drew says that his administration had been planning to introduce these changes to the programme. These new measures will improve the security of the programme and make the Citizenship by Investment product of the country stronger.
The law which seeks to include biometric screening and residency requirements as a part of the Citizenship procurement journey will be presented in the parliament in a few weeks. The confirmation on this topic came from the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew
He has announced that after passing of both the laws, the applicants will have to provide compulsory biometric data to the CBI Unit of the country. This is in addition to the mandatory in person or virtual interview that the applicants have to appear.
These steps are aimed at making sure that the applicants come from a clean background and are not a threat to the peace and security of the federation. At the same time, these added steps will also strengthen the country’s due diligence practice.
The Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew and his team have implemented several changes in the CBI programme of the country since taking office. The Prime Minister said that this new round of reforms is also a part of the planned overall structured plan.
Dr Drew noted that they have a clear a sight of the end where they want to reach with respect to the country’s CBI Programme. He assured the nation that they will soon reach that end goal.
Notably, the introduction of biometric screening as a part of the application process is being seen as adding a digital aspect to the CBI Programme. This follows the lauch or the St Kitts and Nevis e-passport.
The passport has recently attained international recognition as the “Best New Passport in the World” award. The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew and his team have claimed that they are dedicated to maintaining highest standards of quality for the country’s CBI Programme.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
