Citizen By Investment (CIP) figures have been released for the first half of 2019 and it reveals that China accounts for most of the new CIP citizens with 71 people being registered.
In total, two hundred and forty-one (241) people became Citizen By Investment (CIP) registered citizens of Antigua and Barbuda during the first half of 2019 alone.
Apart from China, the other major recipients were from the following countries: Bangladesh (19), Libya (17), Russia (16), Syria (13), Lebanon (12), Nigeria (10) and Egypt (9).
During that six-month period, there were also two applicants from Iraq, one of seven countries banned from applying for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship. These applicants are likely to be permanent residents of Canada, the United States of America or the United Kingdom, as that is the only exception to the 2017 ban.
According to documents outlining applications under the CIP from January 1st to June 30th, 2019, these people all received citizenship, most of them through the National Development Fund (NDF) option.
This option is used to fund government sponsored projects, including public-private partnerships and approved charitable investments.
According to the document, investments by NDF account for 96.68 percent of the applicants, meaning that 233 people paid a minimum one-time payment of between US$100,000 to US$125,000 per application to become citizens in the state.
Five people (2.07 percent) applied under the real estate option (US$ 400,000 or more) and three (1.24 per cent) under the business investment option (US $1.5 million and above).
An estimate of the financial contributions, excluding processing fees, total US$30 million dollars (XCD $81m)
The addition, these 241 people brought the number of CIP nationals to 2,188 since the inception of the programme in 2013.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Antigua and Barbuda the new colony of china. I hope Antiguans learn how to bow and drop on their knees, the new colonizers are here, thanks to the black yard boys who have sold their soul for trinkets.
Economic Imperialism!
I am sure you would have seen the article on Dominica by KR. He mentions that there are 900 communist Chinese in Dominica including intelligence officers who are operating a sophisticated listening post, keeping tabs on US activity in the Caribbean. Looking at what has to be the most hideous building in Antigua that claims to be an embassy that article put clarity to my suspicions of what exactly is going to take place on that 5 acres. After they acquire the DWH one would assume that those buildings will house their command center and may well also house Chinese military along with whatever (unchecked) equipment they need to make their Antigua infiltration and control complete. With regard to YIDA I am still wondering if YIDA paid in full for the vast property he has gotten and consequently ruined, both environmentally and with unsightly development. Since his agreement gives him exclusive rights to selling passports in China the question needs to asked whether those monies are being turned in or being used to build his tacky looking buildings and empty shell steel factory. WAKE UP ANTIGUA AND DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO BE CONTROLLED BY COMMUNIST, LACK OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND RACIST CHINA OR REMAIN PART OF THE FREE AND DEMOCRATIC WESTERNIZED WORLD. If it is the latter then open your mouths and say so…at this rate it is only a matter of time before the USA AND EU puts financially crippling sanctions on the islands who are following and supporting communist China and dictatorship Venezuela.
Brethren your hate for the Chinese blinds you.You remind me so much of my friend Sean Bird who listens to too many white evangelicals, hence is trapped in their racism.. Stop make things up, YIDA does not have the exclusive right to sell passport in China. Let me first state nobody selling passport. You labeling it such gives the impression that its an open market and once you can pay its yours. There is a due diligence process. There is a list of countries whose residents don’t qualify. Persons have an option if they qualify to have the normal residency period waived, by instead paying a fee. What they get is essentially conditional citizenship (not permanent citizenship)for 5 years If they pass the test, they then apply and get citizenship (permanent). There is a similar process in the US via the EB5 program where you pay for residency, get a green card and 5 years later qualify for permanent citizenship
Brethren as far as YIDA having a monopoly in china in terms of cip, thats false. Think you well know the Chinese lady(Lihua Tian’) who was later wanted by China came to via a service provider other than YIDA. YIDA’s push would be to sell especially the real estate and investment option not NDF. Please don’t confirm my fears that I am speaking to a wall.
White evangelicals like who? Joel Olsteen or Joyce Meyers?
Oh you know them well. But brethren is even deeper right Your Paula Whites, Franklin Graham. The latter one who wishes us all to believe that socialism is evil
Tenman, I guess my simple brain reads things differently because I interpreted the below as YIDA’s rights in China compliments of the most horrendous license agreement I have ever seen………
On page 17 of the Antigua and Barbuda Special Economic Zone (YIDA International Investment Antigua Limited) License Order, 2015. Signed by Gaston Browne it says……
Official CIP representative
Government will appoint YIDA International Investment Group as the only official CIP representative in China for all Chinese-passport holding applicants (except agency rights)
Course if you interpret the English written license differently then you are entitled to do so. I am seriously wondering if you would go as far to criticize the Hong Kong people demonstrating (for months now) for the democratic freedoms that they enjoyed under British control of their island. Gee, Tenman wonder why they would reject communist China and do that, huh????
You accused America of being racist but maybe you should take a long trip to China as a tourist and see how much they welcome you…seems as though you have forgotten the racist ads in China…did you forget the one for their washing powder where the Chinese woman puts the black man in her washing machine because she did not want him black and after washing him with soap powder he comes out as a WHITE Chinese man which puts a smile on her face. Did you miss the one where several Chinese beat an African to death because he wanted to date a Chinese woman????
Do you really think that ANY of the Chinese projects (under UPP or ABLP) we have in Antigua are REAL value for money. Have you been to visit the WPP anytime recently? I have and it is nothing more than a useless rusty mess!! Check online and see what the costs are in China to do a project for themselves. I suggest checking the cost for the Shanghai Intercontinental Wonderland on the forbes site and then do the math on a cost per year basis and compare. It easily shows at least a 60% mark up here for their construction on projects that are nowhere near as sophisticated. BTW “a wall” is fine….best wishes for 2020.
Jeb what you suspect could only be done via the CIP act itself or an amendment to it (via a miscellaneous amendment), not in a zone licensing order. Again there are other companies providing said service (evidenced by the Chinese woman case). Also note even the order itself makes clear they cannot offer agent services (the best this had hoped to allow is for them to market and then send applications on to an agent). The licensing order must be specific to the zone. They would wish to market cip as far as products offered in their zone. They would have no interest in NDF since it has nothing to do with their zone activity. Yes in the earlier days there was talk of what the order suggests but that bus long left the station via other service providers (as evidenced by the many NDF applications from China). Hope I helped answer you on this issue.
“meaning that 233 people paid a minimum one-time payment of between US$100,000 to US$125,000 per application to become citizens in the state.” totally ignores that the 100K is for an application. An application can contain more than one family member. This then means if its a family of 2 as far as NDF its (233/2 )
@KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR
Knight can’t you see any good at ALL that this administration is doing ? I would advise You to STOP posting in this medium and post in the OBSERVER CHAT ROOM where KNIGHT , SERPENT , GLADYS POTTER ,CLEON ATHILL et ALL knock one head and going NOWHERE. Selling of passports are revenue generator. You should suggest another revenue generator to the GOVERNMENT instead of CRITICIZING. All You Guys do from OBSERVER MEDIA just full of chat. Empty vessels make the most noise, THAT IS THE REASON your UPP Political Party would never win another election in Antigua. Knight ,I hope someday you will take off the BLINDDERS and see PROGRESS. Very disappointed in your postings. Hon. Gaston Browne (PRIME MINISTER ) and ABLP/ALP FOREVER.
@ MONITOR……I believe that you were searching for the words ” ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE” .Hon.Gaston Browne knows what He is doing to UPLIFT ANTIGUA and BARBUDA “. Monitor ,Can you honestly tell Who is the alternative to the ABLP / ALP. Antigua DO NOT have an OPPOSITION . I am waiting to see the SLATE for the UPP 2023. Hope You will agree with me. Happy New Year.
@TENMAN…We welcome the Chinese Investments. Happy New Year.
Happy new year to you and also all readers. I find some of our people strange. The whites are welcomed to invest but the Chinese are unworthy (they wrongly argue). Its the Chinese, in the past 2 decades, who have been the better partners than the US or the UK. Its the Chinese when the West had no problem with apartheid, who aided the ANC. Have some friends who visited China recently and though they came back a few months ago, they are still in awe of the tech advances they observed. Look I am not advocating we treat them like saints, after all they are human hence have flaws. However, clearly they are better partners than those who continue to push policies which make clear they do not see people of African decent as human beings. People like Sean Bird
refuse to acknowledge that racism hampers our relationship with places like the US:
“Racism in America is an institutional “white man’s problem visited on people of color,” Joe Biden, Aug 2019
This passport giveaway is unsustainable. Each applicant automatically qualifies to buy crown land at 3 dollars per square foot. When you add these 2000 to the 10s of thousands of non nationals to the list it is only a matter of time before all the syndicate land bought by VC Bird will be no longer available to nationals of Antigua.
Antigua has become a cheap and easy prostitute where for the price of a BMW 750 or Benz E Class vehicle you can get a passport. Shame.
The USA, UK, Singapore and Dubai all have citizenship by investment or residency by investment programs. Not really sure what your point is here. Are you not aware that it’s 2020 and the world is now global?
I support Antigua’s CIP program 100%. Would you rather have rich educated immigrants coming to live Antigua or poor losers from other Caribbean countries?
Did it ever occur to anybody that the Chinese seeking citizenship in Antigua are actually the type of Chinese people that value democracy and freedom? If they didn’t value freedom and human rights then they would just stay in China.
Use your brains people and let’s welcome our new citizens of Antigua with open arms, love, and gratitude.
@DESSALINES…You should be ASHAMED of yourself with the UPP RHETORIC.
@KNIGHT ….You are the DUMBEST radio HOST in the Eastern Caribbean . You talk to your HANDFUL of Supporters from Monday to Thursday evening with the same RHETORIC. Honestly I introduced your programme to a few Friends Overseas and They want to know if I am crazy to listen to your Programme . We are now fulltime listener to POINTE FM 99.1 to Senator Colin Browne , Beef and Kentae and the Flag Ship programme Browne and Browne. You just curse every night. Awful Radio.
I don’t ever recall Mr. Knight begging people to listen to the Snakepit. He already has a huge audience locally and overseas so I am quite sure he could care less if you and your overseas friend listen to him or not. All the programs on Observer radio and the newspaper appeal to intelligent people who appreciate being kept informed…that is why so many of us donated to Observer and purchased tee shirts. Those who choose to remain ignorant usually do not want to or are incapable of dealing with reality which makes them easy prey for despots.
@JEB …DEAL WITH REALITY…..How long can you keep supporting Observer ? This Company better start supporting ITSELF and STOP running to the Public for money. Bad for business.
Comments are closed.