Dominica’s CIU is back to normal and processing applications; contrary to a story circulated yesterday.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica said in a Press Conference two days ago that the country’s Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) is back to normal following the devastation by Hurricane Maria.

This contradicts an article published on Linkedin yesterday by the head of a Dubai-based CBI-firm, which claimed that Dominica’s “Citizenship by Investment Unit buildings and telecommunications have also been completely destroyed, and all courier services disrupted indefinitely.” He further argued that “clients that are currently in the process of obtaining their Dominican Citizenship should expect delays.”

The article urged prospective applicants to consider the four other Caribbean programs “until relief efforts are over and the Government of Dominica is able to fully rebuild infrastructure and services essential to the CBIU process.”

Representatives of a reputable CBI firm with a significant presence in Dominica, have confirmed to Investment Migration Insider that the abovementioned claims couldn’t be further from the truth and that the CIU actually approved five applications on Monday. The representatives questioned the motives behind spreading what they called “fake news”, suggesting it was a deliberate attempt to divert application volume away from Dominica – which, unlike the other programs, does not offer commissions on contributions.

Responding to the article, Sam Bayat, head of Bayat Legal Services, wrote in the comments section that “we just filed an application last night with the unit and it was okay. Program CEO, Mr. Nanthan and the PM both assured me they had minimum interruption, and with the grace of God, the unit will actually provide us with a better file management than before Maria.”

The article has since been amended to reflect this information.

Dominica’s CIP, the second oldest in the world, generates a significant amount of investments in the country. If anything, it only makes sense for Dominica to ensure a smooth operation of its CIU in order not to disrupt a major source of FDI, particularly at such a critical time.