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BY CS Global Partners 

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LONDON, Sept. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The past year has proven prolific for the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis as regards the new visa waiver agreements it has succeeded in arranging with countries across the world. The dual-island nation currently provides its citizens with visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to nearly 160 destinations, making it the strongest passports within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the 26^th worldwide. In the new CBI Index, the Financial Times’ PWM considered the high global mobility that St Kitts and Nevis offers to its nationals as one of the key advantages for investors looking for its citizenship in exchange for a contribution to the country’s economy. This is possible through its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.

Foreign Minister Mark Brantley focused on expanding the islands’ list of visa-free agreements, particularly by bridging the gap between St Kitts and Nevis and European nations. Since 2015, the country has established over 30 new diplomatic relations and a visa-free regime with 15 new destinations across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The 2019 CBI Index said this was a notable forte for St Kitts and Nevis’ CBI Programme.

The prestigious report annually analyses the countries that offer CBI and ranks them based on seven individual pillars. One of the most significant factors when choosing a programme is a country’s ability to provide enhanced global mobility. The 2019 CBI Index recognised the efforts made by St Kitts and Nevis to offer both its economic and native citizen’s hassle-free travel: “citizens of St Kitts and Nevis […] have access to 15 out of 20 business hubs selected for the 2019 CBI Index.”

This year’s CBI Index coincides with the industry’s 35^th anniversary, pioneered in St Kitts and Nevis in 1984. For over three decades, St Kitts and Nevis has dominated the industry and inspired other countries to implement their own adaption of the programme. The Sustainable Growth Fund – the newest investment channel introduced last year by Prime Minister Timothy Harris – offers vetted foreign investors and their families the most straightforward route to acquire second citizenship in St Kitts and Nevis. The fund is designed to redirect generated revenue into the islands’ socio-economic advancement. As St Kitts and Nevis offers the world’s oldest CBI programme, it remains the Platinum Standard choice amongst a select category of global investors.