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St. Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship-by-investment program is the top-ranked program in the world in terms of Processing Time and Quality of Processing, as well as Residence Requirements and Physical Visit Requirements in the Global Residence and Citizenship Programs 2017–2018 report. The program secured second place for Investment Requirements and Relocation Flexibility.
The report is the industry standard for benchmarking and measuring the attractiveness of investment migration programs, and was released today by global residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners, ahead of its 11th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference. The event is held this year in Hong Kong, from 14 to 16 November 2017.
St. Kitts and Nevis — Two islands, one paradise
Since 1984, the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Act has allowed foreign investors to acquire citizenship, making it the oldest existing citizenship-by-investment program in the world.
St. Kitts and Nevis offers beautiful beaches and tropical landscapes. With a St. Kitts and Nevis passport, a citizen can currently travel visa-free to 137 countries worldwide, including the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Europe.
The 3rd edition of the Global Residence and Citizenship Programs report provides a systematic analysis and comprehensive benchmarking of the world’s leading investment migration programs. These programs were evaluated by a distinguished panel of independent experts — including immigration and citizenship lawyers, economists, country risk experts, academic researchers, and other specialists — who took into account a broad range of factors pertaining to each program. The result is a global bird’s-eye view of the investment migration industry and a ranking of all the major programs on offer.
Hugh Morshead, Group Director of Henley & Partners, says, “The Global Residence and Citizenship Programs publication is an indispensable tool, not only for all those interested in alternative residence or citizenship but also for professionals such as private client advisors, private bankers, lawyers, as well as governments operating investment migration programs.”
St. Kitts and Nevis was also recognized in the areas of:
• Reputation
• Quality of Life
• Visa-free Access
• Compliance
• Transparency

A growing interest in residence and citizenship planning
As Morshead explains, the need for a reference and benchmarking tool like the Global Residence and Citizenship Programs reflects the strong growth of the investment migration industry in recent years. “Interest in the industry has steadily increased over the past decade, and we anticipate that it will continue to do so,” he says. “In fact, we again expect hundreds of attendees from over 40 countries at this month’s Global Residence and Citizenship Conference in Hong Kong.”
The annual event, now in its 11th year, has become the world’s most significant conference on investment migration. It brings together presidents, prime ministers, senior government officials, leading academics, and industry professionals, as well as top-tier financial and business media. According to Morshead, this year’s conference offers delegates the opportunity to engage with the leading minds and ideas driving the growing trend towards global mobility and citizenship.
Key speakers at the conference include investment legend and global financial commentator Jim Rogers, who will speak about the trends and issues affecting global citizens and their investments, the Prime Minister of Malta, the Hon. Dr. Joseph Muscat, who will talk about the advantages of Maltese citizenship for Asian investors. Professor Dr. Dimitry Kochenov will discuss the latest edition of the Henley & Partners – Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index, explaining how the quality of a nationality affects the movement of talent and business, while John Wong, PwC’s Private Client Services Leader in China and Hong Kong, will provide the latest insight into tax planning for Chinese private clients.
“Following the unprecedented success of this event year after year, we again expect the conference in Hong Kong to be more influential than the one before,” Morshead concludes.
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Notes to editors
About the Global Citizenship and Residence Programs 2017–2018 report
The Global Residence and Citizenship Programs report provides a systematic analysis and comprehensive benchmarking of the world’s leading investment migration programs. In collaboration with a distinguished panel of independent experts, including immigration and citizenship lawyers, economists, country risk experts, and academic researchers, Henley & Partners has created the Global Citizenship Program Index (GCPI) and the Global Residence Program Index (GRPI) as part of its report. These two indexes incorporate and analyze a broad range of factors, delivering a global bird’s-eye view of the investment migration industry and a ranking of all the major programs on offer.
The indexes are highly relevant not only to those interested in alternative residence or citizenship but also to industry professionals, private client advisors, and governments working within the investment migration industry.
About Henley & Partners
Henley & Partners is the global leader in residence and citizenship planning. Each year, hundreds of wealthy individuals and families and their advisors rely on its expertise and experience in this area. The firm’s highly qualified professionals work together as one team in over 25 offices worldwide.
The concept of residence and citizenship planning was created by Henley & Partners in the 1990s. As globalization has expanded, residence and citizenship have become topics of significant interest among the increasing number of internationally mobile entrepreneurs and investors whom we proudly serve every day.
The firm also runs a leading government advisory practice that has raised more than USD 6 billion in foreign direct investment. The firm has been involved in strategic consulting and in the design, set-up, and operation of the world’s most successful residence and citizenship programs.
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Media contact

For further information or to request an interview or a review copy, please contact:

Sarah Nicklin
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sarah.nicklin@henleyglobal.com
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