Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire have both publicly rejected the notion that Saint Lucia’s citizenship by investment (CBI) program is to blame for the United Kingdom’s decision to strip the island of visa-free access.
Their remarks, delivered separately on March 10, represent Castries’ most detailed response to the UK’s announcement.
Pierre told a news conference that the British High Commissioner had personally handed him correspondence from Mike Tapp, the UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship.
The letter identified a rise in asylum claims by individuals traveling on Saint Lucian passports as the principal concern. According to Pierre, the letter stated that the UK had “experienced a substantial increase in St Lucian nationals presenting as visitors, but subsequently claiming asylum.”
The Prime Minister framed the issue as one of individual compliance rather than systemic failure. He urged Saint Lucian nationals not to overstay their visas when traveling to the UK or the United States, calling it “something we can control.”
On the CBI program itself, Pierre was unequivocal. “Saint Lucia has no intention of stopping the CIP program,” he told reporters. “We will do all we can to strengthen the program.”
“Tell Us Who They Are”
Hilaire, addressing the National Assembly the same day, went further. “It is wrong to leave the impression that Saint Lucia’s CIP is responsible for this problem,” he told the House, noting that the UK’s own data did not distinguish between natural-born citizens and individuals who obtained citizenship through investment.
UK data the Deputy PM cited show 342 asylum applications from Saint Lucian nationals since 2022, out of approximately 106,000 total. In his telling, that share amounts to a “very small percentage,” and the government has seen no evidence tying the increase to the CBI program specifically.
Castries has also “repeatedly requested detailed information from the UK regarding any alleged misuse of Saint Lucian passports,” but received nothing, according to Hilaire.
“We have asked repeatedly for the relevant information on any concern with the CIP,” he told the Assembly. “If there are CIP citizens using St. Lucia passports to claim asylum or to work illegally in the United Kingdom, then share the data with us.”
“Inherently High-Risk”
Hilaire’s assertion that the visa requirement has nothing to do with the CBI program is difficult to square with the UK’s own published rationale. The Explanatory Memorandum to the Statement of Changes in the Immigration Rules (HC 1691), published March 5, devotes an entire section to Saint Lucia’s CBI program.
Section 5.24 of the memorandum describes citizenship by investment as “inherently high-risk.” It acknowledges steps Saint Lucia has taken over the past year to reduce associated risks, but states that the UK “continues to experience unsustainable risks” driven by “the historic sale of high volumes of citizenships (and associated passports).”
The memorandum goes on to note that the Saint Lucian program received approximately 5,642 applications in 2023-24, representing 423% annual growth. That growth, the UK wrote, “has directly coincided with an increase in those who have subsequently been detected using St Lucian passports to access the UK, going on to either claim asylum or work illegally.”
Tapp’s letter to Pierre, which the Prime Minister read aloud at the news conference, echoed this framing. The UK minister wrote that recent incidents had “highlighted risks of individuals who purchase St Lucian citizenship travelling to the UK for the purpose of claiming asylum.”
He added that he had “ongoing concerns around the sale of citizenships to nationals from regions where the UK operates a visa regime,” as well as “legacy risks presented by the individuals who have gained citizenship over the last decade.”
Tapp’s Team on the Ground
Pierre also confirmed that UK officials arrived in Castries on March 11 to meet with travel agencies and visa specialists. The visit, he said, was intended to help stakeholders manage the transition to the new visa regime and to facilitate legitimate travel.
A six-week transition window remains in effect until April 16, 2026, during which Saint Lucians who hold an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) obtained before March 5 and who have pre-booked travel may still enter the UK visa-free. The new requirement exempts diplomats and government ministers traveling on official business.
“Party Before Country”
Hilaire used part of his National Assembly address to criticize the opposition United Workers Party (UWP), accusing it of politicizing the visa issue and spreading misinformation that could damage Saint Lucia’s international reputation.
He defended the CBI program as a tool for national development, citing its contribution to infrastructure, healthcare, education, and climate resilience.
Pierre struck a similar note, telling reporters that “we have no control over UK government policy or American government policy. Our job is to take control of what we can control.”
Saint Lucia is now the second Caribbean CBI-issuing country to lose visa-free access to the United Kingdom, after Dominica in July 2023. The US has separately frozen immigrant visa processing for all five Caribbean CBI nations and cut visa validity for Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda from ten years to three months.
