What changed in Caribbean CBI after harmonisation?
The 2024 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) harmonised pricing across the Caribbean five at a USD 200K minimum donation. Differentiation now sits in family inclusion, processing speed, and banking acceptance. Programmes did not converge on diligence depth, citizenship rights, or visa-free reach. Real-estate routes vary by programme. The harmonisation is on price, not on substance.
The 2024 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) among the Caribbean five (St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia) introduced a coordinated USD 200K minimum donation across all five programmes. The harmonisation responded to US Treasury pressure on perceived race-to-the-bottom dynamics among Caribbean CBIs and to coordinated EU diligence framework conversations. What changed: minimum donation threshold (raised across the cluster), coordinated regional CARICOM-level due diligence checks, agreement on shared best practices. What did not change: programme-specific family inclusion rules (Antigua retains sibling inclusion; Malta does not), processing speeds (Dominica still fastest, St. Kitts oldest, St. Lucia newest), Caribbean visa-free reach (varies by programme), or banking acceptance (St. Kitts strongest, St. Lucia least-tested). Real-estate routes remain programme-specific with varying minimum thresholds (typically $300K–$400K). The practical effect for applicants is that price is no longer the differentiator — the choice between Caribbean programmes is now about processing speed, family economics, banking acceptance, and recognised brand. Pre-harmonisation patterns where Dominica was distinctly cheapest are no longer operative; the cluster competes on second-order factors.
3 programmes relevant to this answer
St. Kitts & Nevis
Antigua & Barbuda
Dominica
Related answers on this topic
Marginally. CARICOM-level coordination added some shared diligence checks. Within-programme processing windows are largely unchanged from pre-harmonisation; published 2–4 months remain typical.
No — the harmonisation raised the floor. Pre-2024, donation routes started at $100K (Dominica). Post-MoA, the floor is $200K across all five programmes.
No — Vanuatu sits outside the Caribbean and outside the MoA framework. Vanuatu pricing and diligence remain independent of Caribbean coordination.
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