I've done this work for 11 years. I closed my laptop in my LA home that evening, and the first person I thought about was a 50-something cross-border e-commerce founder I'm currently advising on a Grenada filing. If he doesn't submit soon, the math on his file changes. I sent him a text the same night to move our next call up.
What the news actually says
The early-May summit in Saint Lucia pulled CBI authorities from the five Caribbean programs into one room. The agenda included risk management, enforcement mechanisms, a pricing floor, and the future of regional cooperation. None of this is empty rhetoric. The EU has been pressing Caribbean CBIs since 2024-2025. CARICOM has had draft proposals on this exact topic for over a year. They are now back on the table.
Separately, Grenada's IMA launched the Enhanced Local Developer Program. It lowers equity and fee thresholds for local developers participating in CBI projects. This isn't a price hike on applicants. It's the government redrawing how local capital sits inside the program. That kind of move usually signals that external pressure is real.
What this means for HNW clients
HNW clients don't care about summit agendas. They care about whether the price quoted today still holds three months from now.
The summit didn't produce a final ruling. But the trajectory in the five Caribbean states over the last three years is clear. Approvals tighter. Due diligence tighter. Prices going one direction only. Saint Kitts raised once in 2024. Dominica is now on Tier 4 enhanced DD. Antigua's ECCIRA is live. Saint Lucia's processing has stretched to 20-24 months. There is no "wait and see" lane on this road.
In an environment like this, luck is not a strategy. A second passport is what you reach for: a piece of certainty.
Grenada CBI Snapshot · As of May 2026
Core data
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Investment | $235,000+ (NTF donation, family of 4) |
| Processing | 6-12 months (under the IMA process from April 2026) |
| Visa-free | 145 countries (Schengen + UK 180-day included) |
| US E-2 / China 30-day | Conditional on both, see notes |
| Family | Three generations, with conditional siblings |
Who Grenada fits
- Founders ready to genuinely relocate to Grenada and run a real local business, with E-2 as a 3-year horizon plan
- HNW families who need both Schengen visa-free and UK 180-day access
- Households doing a five-year multi-passport plan across three generations
Who shouldn't get Grenada
- Parents who think "passport now, E-2 next month." HR 7776 (NDAA 2022) wrote a 3-year domicile rule into US law.
- Buyers whose budget barely covers $235K, with no buffer for further DD fee creep
- Anyone planning to enter mainland China visa-free as a Grenadian. China visa-free requires renouncing Chinese nationality first.
Three things 90% of agents won't tell you
- A regional pricing floor is being negotiated. The five Caribbean programs will likely agree to a minimum investment threshold by H2 2026. $235K may not hold.
- Five-year residency rule + civics module. Files submitted from April 2026 onward must complete 30 days on the ground within 5 years and pass a civics test. Not a rubber stamp.
- Enhanced Local Developer Program. The real-estate route is being restructured. Project quality will get noisier in H2 2026.
Client case · anonymized
Last week I spent 90 minutes at my LA home with a 50-something cross-border e-commerce founder. He's been in women's apparel for 14 years, built a top-tier brand, runs a 60-person team, and has spun up warehouses in Mexico and Southeast Asia over the last three years. What he wants is E-2. The path he's looking at is Grenada.
His original plan was to file in September because he wanted to push a project to a profit milestone first. After looking at his materials I told him: September won't lock in the current rules. The Saint Lucia summit just adjourned. The next CARICOM working group meets in July. If anything on pricing floors gets pushed at that July session, Q4 is realistic for landing.
[Ken's call] His funds clear by end of June. DD documents will be ready in early July. I told him to file by end of July, not for "fastest approval" theatrics, but to get his application into IMA's hands while the current rules still apply. Not the most expensive, not the cheapest — only the most appropriate. Grenada fits him. But fit doesn't mean wait.
FAQ
Q: Will the Caribbean five really set a minimum investment floor? When?
A: As of May 2026, the five program heads have met once in Saint Lucia to discuss it but issued no final decision. Q4 2026 or Q1 2027 is the likely landing window. The direction is set. The number is still being negotiated.
Q: Will Grenada NTF go from $235K to $300K?
A: Saint Kitts raised once from $250K in 2024, so the trajectory is clear. $300K is a market guess for the floor. No official document confirms that figure. The honest answer: it could go up; the actual number depends on the July CARICOM working group.
Q: Does the Enhanced Local Developer Program affect my application directly?
A: As of May 2026, the impact is mainly on the real-estate path. More local developers will enter CBI projects, which means project quality will become more variable. The NTF donation route is not directly affected.
Q: If I file now, can rule changes catch me mid-process?
A: IMA's standard practice is that rules at submission govern the file. In the 300+ approvals I've personally handled, every policy change after submission was applied prospectively, not retroactively. That's exactly why I told this e-commerce founder to file by end of July: lock the rules, don't gamble on timing.
CTA · three steps
1. Decision Map PDF
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