Growing up in the Caribbean doesn’t just mean you probably went to waterfalls for school field trips or attended study sessions on beautiful beaches. Growing up in the Caribbean often means you probably got a scolding from your neighbourhood elders in the absence of your parents, or grew up in large extended families where your mother’s second cousin’s daughter called herself your sister. In the islands, family bonds run beyond the nuclear to the extended cluster. They run deep. They run close. Its maybe for this reason that the Caribbean island of Grenada has chosen to mirror its local reality and transform its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) into the most family friendly investment immigration programme in the world.
Most investment immigration programmes allow for applicants to include their spouse and children under a certain age on their citizenship application. Children often have to be enrolled in school and demonstrate their ongoing participation in the curriculum. Additionally, these programmes may make allowances for parents to be included on the application – or in some cases, for both parents and grandparents to be included. In either case, both the parents and the grandparents would have to demonstrate a minimum age in order to be eligible. In other instances, they would only be admissible if they were of direct relation to the main applicant and not necessarily his/her spouse. The restrictions have made it difficult and costly for some families, especially extended families, to apply for citizenship through a CIP.
In fact, If an man within an extended family structure, where the household includes his spouse, their children under the age of 30 – including one, who’s not attending school; his parents and the parents of his spouse – one of which may be below the age of 55; and two unmarried siblings, who are without children; wanted to apply for citizenship through a CIP, he will most likely find himself unable to carry all of his family members with him on one application. His siblings, the parent below age 55 and the child, who’s not enrolled in school, may each find themselves having to file single applications to the CIP in order to have the same second citizenship as the rest of the family. One can only then imagine the total cost for all family members to acquire citizenship.
Thankfully, some Caribbean island CIPs have been improving their programmes by expanding their definition of “dependants” to better facilitate the needs of extended families such as this one. Some programmes have dropped the requirement for children to be enrolled in school, while others have allowed for siblings to be included on the application. Of these programmes, Grenada’s remains the most liberal with its definition. Dependants of multiple natures, as defined below, are eligible for inclusion on one application.
Grenada's Definition of Dependants
– Spouse of the main applicant
– Biological or adopted children of the main applicant or his/her spouse, who are below the age of 18
– Biological or adopted children of the main applicant or his/her spouse, who are 18 years or older but below the age of 30
– Biological or adopted children of the main applicant or his/her spouse, who are at least 18 years of age and are physically or mentally challenged, and who are living with and fully supported by the main applicant
– A parent or grandparent of the main applicant or his/her spouse of any age, who is fully supported by the main applicant or spouse
– A biological or adopted sibling of the main applicant, or his/her spouse, who is 18 years or older, single, and without a child
– A child of the main applicant or his/her spouse, who is born within 12 months following the grant of citizenship
Of the above definitions, Grenada’s allowance for parents or grandparents of any age to be included on family applications sets it apart from all of the other family friendly programmes. Because of its move to make its programme more inclusive, several families have benefitted from the increased global access and security that its citizenship affords – all in a seamless, more cost-effective manner.
If you’re an individual, who’s interested in improving your lifestyle and selecting a second citizenship option that provides a reliable plan B should, you ever require one, our consultants at My Grenada Solutions Inc. are on hand to help you select the best solution for your respective citizenship goal.
