Mr Les Khan, who has held the position of Head of the CIU since 2016, is responsible for overseeing the Unit’s day-to-day operations and upholding St Kitts and Nevis’ reputation as the ‘Platinum Standard’ of the citizenship by investment industry.
Discussing the various eligibility requirements applicants to the St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme must meet, Mr Khan underscored the importance that all applicants are of good moral character, meaning that they possess a clean criminal record, pose no reputational risk to the country, and importantly, represent no security threats either to St Kitts and Nevis or its international partners.
According to Mr Khan, strong due diligence, therefore, forms the cornerstone of St Kitts and Nevis’ Programme. Indeed, applicants are screened by Authorised Persons, who are licenced by the Financial Services Regulatory Commission (FRSC) of St Kitts and Nevis, by the CIU itself, by international and regional partners (who check the information provided against criminal, anti-money laundering, and terrorism financing databases), and by external due diligence companies. These companies perform both online and on-the-ground checks to attest to an applicant’s background.
Among the Programme benefits highlighted by Mr Les Khan was the efficiency factor, an element that Mr Les Khan considers to be critical for potential investors. Indeed, St Kitts and Nevis remains the only citizenship by investment country to offer a fast-track service. While applicants making a contribution to the Government’s Sustainable Growth Fund frequently receive approvals in three months, investors seeking an even faster turn-around may apply under the Programme’s 60-day Accelerated Application Process.
Finally, Mr Les Khan acknowledged that, in light of COVID-19 developments, investors across the globe were turning to citizenship by investment as an insurance policy. He also reassured applicants that the CIU would continue processing applications by initially accepting online submissions, but that no decision would be made on an applicant until all required documents were received in physical form.
How can I find out more?
If you wish to find out more about obtaining citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis, or if you have any further questions regarding the citizenship by investment process in St Kitts and Nevis, please contact CS Global Partners.
