The Prime Minister of St. Lucia, the Hon. Allen Chastanet, says global investor 
interest in the country has not been curtailed by COVID-19. Speaking at the 
launch of the St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Program's new brand visual 
identity and website, Prime Minister Chastanet said the Caribbean island nation 
has been exemplary in its handling of the pandemic, which has served to 
increase investor confidence and ensure that applications to the St. Lucia 
Citizenship-by-Investment Unit have continued to grow, with an impressive 
double-digit percentage increase in applicants in recent months.

"The current crisis has caused many business owners and investors to realize 
that they can operate remotely and that there's no need to be based in the big 
cities. St. Lucia's high-speed broadband network and direct flights to the US 
and London enable easy access to the rest of the world. Our uncompromising 
commitment to the highest standards of good governance, coupled with favorable 
head office legislative provision, makes it attractive for companies to move 
their headquarters to St. Lucia. We are still on track to meet our target of 
doubling our GDP in the next six years," explains Prime Minister Chastanet.

Nestor Alfred, CEO of the St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Unit, says there 
are various options available to investors looking to secure citizenship of the 
country, starting at USD 100,000. "We offer significant return on investment at 
a competitive investment level, with visa-free access to 146 destinations 
worldwide, but our dedication to ensuring rigorous due diligence and 
accountability at the highest level across comparable options is what really 
underpins this strategic investment. The long-term growth and legacy options 
that St. Lucia offers can yield ongoing and exponential value for international 
investors."

In May, St. Lucia was the first Caribbean country to announce a new investment 
option for a limited time in response to the coronavirus pandemic. To qualify 
for citizenship via the COVID-19 Relief Bond option, which runs until 31 
December 2020, an individual is required to make a minimum investment of USD 
250,000 in a non–interest-bearing government bond that needs to be held for 
five years.

Prime Minister Chastanet explains that inflows from the program are placed into 
a national economic fund managed by an independent board and are used to build 
capacity, reduce debt, and make capital investments in St. Lucia. "Everything 
that the country was focused on pre-COVID has become even more relevant now: 
investment in education, building an e-government platform, simplification of 
the tax regime, investment in infrastructure, modernization of the security 
force and of the judicial system, and broadening the tourism offering. The 
citizenship-by-investment program can be a key source of funding in helping us 
to facilitate these developments, which is why we are constantly and vigorously 
engaging with key external stakeholders, including governments and 
supra-national organizations, to ensure that our investors retain the 
international market access that drove their initial investment decision."

Media Contact:
Tajma Brown
St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Unit 
media@cipsaintlucia.com 
+1-758-458-6050
www.cipsaintlucia.com 

Source:  St Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Unit