Cross border collaboration: The future for CBI and RBI programmes
An article written by Charmaine Quinland-Donovan, CEO at Antigua & Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Unit for the IM Yearbook 2025.
Recent decisions taken by the Citizenship by Investment Programmes in the Eastern Caribbean, namely Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and St. Lucia, are a testament to the importance of collaboration to secure the future of the industry and ensure the security of national borders.
Beginning in 2022, the governments of the sub-region commenced high level regular meetings with the European Union, the UK and the USA determined to affirm the integrity of their individual programmes while at the same time giving due consideration to the concerns of their partners.
As a result, a number of guiding principles have been formally agreed to by heads of governments and collective agreement made to deploy shared standards and regional co-operation.
Divergent opinions on citizenship and residency by investment programmes are traditionally grounded in two conflicting perspectives. ‘The matter of citizenship is sacred’ and ‘The matter of citizenship is arbitrary’.
Those who live lives of relative freedom and ease may see Citizenship by Investment (CBI) and Residency by Investment (RBI) programmes as violations of the sanctity of citizenship and nationhood. For many others seeking what is often a better way of life, particularly where constraints to their own are vestiges of exogenous factors or plights of circumstance, a chance to live in a wider world is a basic human right.
For the most part, there is broad agreement that these rights must be accessed through legal and managed processes and that the security of all countries’ borders must be fiercely protected.
In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, the litmus test by which we operate our programme gives primacy to the interests of our partner countries.
We always assess our actions and programme modifications against the measure of whether any adjustments made compromise our commitments to the community of nations. And wherever they may so do, these changes are not implemented.
The answer to the challenges that some countries have identified with CBI and RBI programmes is not the closure of those programmes which are responsibly managed. And in instances where best practices are not in place, then remedial action should be mandated.
The aim of collaboration is to ensure that all parties’ interests are clearly identified and adequately addressed in the emerging framework for the operation of CBI and RBI programmes. The global community is best served when countries operate visible, and therefore publicly accountable programmes.
The alternative may well be the creation of a less desirable ecosystem in which citizenship and residency by investment arrangements are no longer legitimate government-managed initiatives, but underground, obscure, unstructured and unregulated unauthorised black-market activities.
“For the most part, there is broad agreement that these rights must be accessed through legal and managed processes and that the security of all countries’ borders must be fiercely protected.”
