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Dominica Revokes 68 CBI Passports, Expert Warns of Consequences for “Duped” Investors

More than half of those who lost citizenship are Iraqis, and Philippe May argues further consequences may follow those named in the order.

The Commonwealth of Dominica has issued a Citizenship Deprivation Order, effectively canceling the citizenships of 68 individuals who had obtained their status through the country’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP).

The order, signed by Minister for Citizenship Miriam Blanchard and gazetted on June 6th, 2024, maintains that “the scheduled persons obtained registration or certificate of naturalization by means of fraud, false representation or the concealment of a material fact” and that “it is not conducive that a scheduled person continue to be a citizen of Dominica.”

The order lists the names, nationalities, and citizenship dates of those affected; you can read the entire document here.

More than half (53%) of those affected are of Iraqi origin, followed by Pakistanis (21%), Egyptians and Iranians (6% each), Nigerians and Syrians (4% each), Afghans (3%), and one Sudanese and one Jordanian national (1% each). The individuals named in the order obtained citizenship between November 2019 and May 2022.

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The move comes mere months after Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, warned attendees of a Caribbean Investment Summit that his government had "put in place legislation that would see anyone found to have obtained citizenship by investment in that country for anything less than the officially permitted minimum have their citizenships revoked."

Skerrit's statement followed the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the five Caribbean CIP jurisdictions in March, which aimed to harmonize minimum investment thresholds, enhance information sharing and transparency, and establish common regulatory standards.

Philippe May, Founder and CEO of EC Holdings, applauds Dominica's action, stating that it's "good that a CBI country is taking action against fraudulent applicants." May explains that these applicants have often been "mishandled by rogue, unlicensed immigration service providers" who entice them with low initial fees. It remains unclear if discounting activities was the main reason for the revocations, especially since the majority of the applicants hail from the same country.

Dominica cites fraudulent activity as the reason behind its decision, which could include lying or concealing visa rejections to countries Dominica has visa-free waivers with or other misrepresentations.

As part of the MoA, Dominica and the other signatories agreed to a minimum investment of US$200,000 and committed to sharing information on applicants through a digital portal hosted by the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) in Barbados. The countries also pledged to improve the post-approval screening of CBI citizens and cooperate on retrieving canceled passports.

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May believes that when these individuals learn of their fate and see their names published, "some of them will turn against their dubious providers, which is a good thing." He adds that this action will serve as a lesson for "discounters, crooks, and other dubious characters" in the investment migration industry and discourage future applicants from dealing with unlicensed agents.

The consequences for those named in the order extend beyond the loss of citizenship and passports. May warns that they will "face difficulties applying for visas and even with banking" as their names will enter global databases used by financial institutions. He notes that some may not have acted intentionally but rather "at the behest of their crooked service provider."

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