No syndication. No rehashes. No PR fluff. First-hand CBI industry observations, policy analysis, and client case debriefs — 11 years of field experience.
Two years after the OECS five-country MOU locked the Caribbean CBI floor at USD 200,000, Dominica still holds the line. But the fund route and the real-estate route at that same floor cost a family of three about 50,000 USD apart, with a secondary-market liquidity story most agents skip.
Antigua all-in 270k to 280k USD; Saint Lucia 280k to 300k USD; gap under 20k. Four watersheds: residency, interview, speed, visa-free count.
Saint Kitts CIU is processing in 90 to 120 days, with a real five to six month door-to-door window. Eight client questions, working answers.
The Grenada Investment Migration Agency confirmed the 30-day residency requirement and the due-diligence fee uplift will come into force inside the April-June 2026 window. Here is the breakdown of which days count, which family members can carry the burden, and what the price ledger looks like once the new fees post.
The Sao Tome CIU crossed 220 applications by mid-April 2026, eight months after launch. The volume curve is not the story. The four amendments published on April 10 are. Here is what the file traffic looks like from the operational floor in May 2026, and where the program is likely to sit twelve months from now.
Turkey is sold as a G20 nationality, four to eight months end to end, and the second E-2 corridor. The reality of lira volatility, inflated CBI property pricing, and a visa-free list that misses the corridors HNW Chinese families care about, makes this passport less of a fit than the brokers will tell you.
Grenada's real estate route has three tiers: $235K NTF donation, $270K shared ownership, $350K full title. The middle tier is where four-person families with a five-year horizon actually end up — once they understand what the structure really gives them.
Saint Lucia advertises a 90-day target. Many brokers still quote 4 to 6 months. Actual 2025 to 2026 processing has stretched to 18-20 months. Seven Q&A blocks for anyone already in the queue or being pitched this passport right now.
Sao Tome starts at $95,000. Dominica starts at $200,000. The price gap is double, but the visa-free lists, family scope, processing speed and program risk are not on the same axis. A side-by-side, with the trade-offs that actually drive the choice.
Vanuatu lost EU Schengen visa-free status in December 2024 and UK access back in 2023. For most HNW Chinese families looking at a second passport, those two losses change the math. Here is the full story of one client conversation last week.
The April 14 biometric rule is widely covered. The buried clause is this: anyone who became a Saint Kitts citizen before that date has 14 months left to enrol fingerprints and iris data, or face passport revalidation issues.
A rumor of Schengen visa-free restoration for Vanuatu by mid-2026 is moving fast. An essay-length walk through why the EU cycle makes that unlikely and what clients should actually decide.
More articles publishing regularly. A topic you want covered?
Message Ken with the request1-on-1 consultation · Always free
Add note: CBI passport inquiry