Citizenship by Investment in Dominica Bans Yemeni Applicants

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On Monday, January 15, 2024, RIF Trust HQ received a letter. It came from the Citizenship By Investment Unit (CBIU), 1st Floor, Financial Centre, Ministry of Finance, Kennedy Avenue, Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica. This concerns Yemenis applying for Citizenship by Investment in Dominica.

Yemenis Excluded From Applying for Citizenship by Investment in Dominica

The title of the letter is “Re: Suspension of application from Yemeni nationals”. It continues with the following key section: “The Government of Dominica is suspending the processing of all new applications from Yemeni nationals effective 19 January 2024.”

Next, the letter explains the rationale behind the decision: “This measure is geared at safeguarding the Global Community and the integrity of Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.”

The letter features the signature of Marie-Therese Johnson. Johnson became Head of the CBIU in October 2023. Previously, she was General Manager of the Dominica Agricultural Industrial and Development Bank.

Two of Johnson’s key objectives for Citizenship by Investment in Dominica are to make it more secure and transparent. The blocklisting of Yemeni applicants is in line with this. It’s increasingly standard practice from CBI programmes to ban applications from countries they consider a risk.

The RIF Trust View

Chris Willis is our Caribbean Managing Partner. A recent article in Montreal’s La Presse extensively quotes Willis concerning Dominican Citizenship by Investment. Here, Our Man in the Caribbean acknowledges that Dominica’s due diligence process has come under international scrutiny.

“This is a good news/bad news story,” remarks Willis. “It’s good news for the future of CBI in Dominica. That’s because it sees Dominica shield its programme from criticism that due diligence is not stringently applied.”

“It’s bad news for Yemenis, of course. There are only 35 visa-free destinations available to Yemen passport holders.”

“For Yemeni investors looking to enhance their global mobility, however, they’re still eligible to apply for CBI in Antigua and Barbuda (with restrictions), Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia.”

How to Get Caribbean Citizenship by Investment

You cannot directly apply for Caribbean Citizenship by Investment. Instead, you have to employ the services of an authorized investment migration agent such as RIF Trust. So, don’t delay and contact us today.