The weekend edition of the Washington Post is reporting that the US administration is considering visa restriction and entry to the US from an additional 36 countries, including several African and Caribbean countries.

The Caribbean countries listed includes four countries all of whom boasts active Citizenship by Investment Programs….Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and St Lucia.

According to the Post, the memo was signed by Secretary of State Rubio and circulated to US Diplomatic Missions over the weekend, giving the affected countries 60 days to meet newly defined benchmarks.

This would be a big blow to Antigua and Barbuda and our sister CBI countries.

One of the biggest falsehoods about the Citizenship By Investment Program (CIP) is that it caters for persons that need a second passport for nefarious reasons

Most believe that only scoundrels, fugitives and tax cheats are eager to utilize these schemes. But nothing could be further from the truth. Many persons from emerging economies see a second passport as an “insurance policy” against instability and economic uncertainty in their home territories. Simple things like traveling for a vacation can be burdensome for some if they do not have certain passports which brings greater mobility benefits.

Most of these smalll Caribbean countries have no real economic base except for tourism and they have to do things to come up with funds to provide jobs for their citizens, repair broken roads, bridges and other infrastructural development.

The pressure that is being put on these countries by the US is unhelpful and unnecessary and would only make life more difficult for all of its citizens. The struggle is real and getting harder.