The citizenship business

Dennie Quill, Columnist

Many people who are thinking of retirement conjure up images of a peaceful paradise where they can look at azure waters all day long and gape at beautiful sunsets. Emphasis, of course, is on peace.

For example, many Jamaicans who emigrated to greener pastures in the 1950s and '60s harboured great dreams of returning to their idyllic home on retirement. However, with the out-of-control crime situation and the breakdown in social services, many retirees have had second thoughts.

No longer is home what you make it. People are exercising their options by choosing to live in countries that offer them the best life they can buy. Two of our sister CARICOM territories, St Kitts-Nevis and Dominica, are among three countries in the world which have made it easy for people to settle by acquiring citizenship for a price. The third is Austria in Europe.

Surge in interest

With instability increasing around the world, the St Kitts government has reported a surge in interest in its citizenship programme which began in 1984, a year after the twin-island state gained independence from Britain. The interest in this 110-square mile paradise has come from some of the world's wealthiest persons. In a recent machete robbery of a US Supreme Court judge holidaying at his home in Nevis earlier this month, the suspect was quickly identified and has turned himself in. This is unlikely to deter would-be investors because the islands are, in fact, peaceful.

They can qualify for citizenship by acquiring property with a minimum value of US$400,000, or they can donate US$250,000 to a sugar workers' retirement fund. If one is of good character (without a criminal record), after due diligence confirms the money trail, in a mere 12 weeks one could become a citizen of St Kitts.

The government boasts that the holder of a Kittian passport can gain visa-free access to some 100 countries such as Canada, Schengen states, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. This comes against the background of St Kitts achieving high marks in the annual Visa Restriction Index, which ranks a passport's value based on the number of countries one can visit without a visa. St Kitts ranked 28, Dominica was 54.

It is interesting to note that the US passport and the Irish tied for fifth, while Finland, Sweden and Denmark were tied for first place. Jamaica would have fallen way at the bottom of this list, judging from the number of countries that require visas from Jamaica travellers.

Another benefit that has made this programme a talking point is that there is no personal income tax. The St Kitts programme has attracted as many as 1,500 persons, including American businessmen, Egyptians trying to escape the chaos in Cairo, and South Koreans fleeing North Korea's missiles.

Income tax woes

Some feel this interest in Kittian citizenship while living a tax-free life may have a bearing on the fact that in 2011, a total of 1,788 Americans renounced their citizenship. Well, we know some of them were coerced into doing so because of constitutional conflicts. But the fact is, income tax woes follow a US citizen wherever he goes, and the only escape is renunciation of one's citizenship. This is believed to be the highest number of renunciations since the government started keeping track in 1997.

The Americans have taken notice of the citizenship programme, and some members of Congress have been touting its merit as a way of perhaps reviving the ailing real estate market. Right now, Malta and Croatia are said to be mulling the benefits of citizenship by investment.

As we ponder these happenings, one thing is certain: we are all becoming global citizens, some faster than others, for immigration has created great cultural diversity, whether in St Kitts, Jamaica or the countries of Europe.

Dennie Quill is a veteran media practitioner. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.