Antigua and Barbuda citizenship for plans in the UK: studies, work, travel

Roshan consulted Immigrant Invest’s specialists, having read the article "How to travel to the USA and the UK without a visa» in our blog. The investor wanted to know whether he was eligible to take part in citizenship by investment programs.

Immigrant Invest’s lawyers carried out a preliminary Due Diligence check on Roshan. It turned out that there were not any obstacles in the applicant’s biography that could prevent him from obtaining a second passport. Roshan gets legal income from his family business with Samadhi, pays taxes on time, and has never been convicted of any crime.

The investor stated his goals and objectives as follows:

• his wife and he are eager to visit their son in the UK at will;

• his son is not to entirely depend on student or work visas;

• all the family would also like to travel visa-free to the Schengen Area.

As for the budget, Roshan and Samadhi were ready to spend up to $200,000, though the less, the better.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

Five Caribbean countries whose citizens travel visa-free to the UK and Schengen Area offer foreigners to get citizenship by investment. These are St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda. The conditions under the programs are similar.

The participation cost is at least $100,000 and depends on the number of family members included in the application. Some programs offer more favourable conditions for large families, others for smaller ones.

All the programs of Caribbean countries provide participants with at least two investment options to choose from: non-refundable contribution to the state fund and purchase of real estate. Some countries also offer to invest in a business or government bonds.

For Roshan’s family, the least expensive option turned out to be the contribution to the fund under the Antigua and Barbuda program. That is why the investor chose this program over the others.

The preliminary check passed and the program chosen, Roshan entered into an agreement with Immigrant Invest. The next step was to prepare a package of necessary documents and submit an application. Most of this work is always done by Immigrant Invest’s lawyers.

Collecting documents. Within two weeks, Roshan had his documents collected, translated and notarized, as well as his application filled out. Scanned copies were uploaded to the department’s online portal, which speeds up the process of considering applications. Hard copies were sent to Antigua and Barbuda by mail.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

To include children over 18 years old in the application, the investor needs to prove their financial dependence. Roshan pays for Lakmal’s education and rents him an apartment in London. Confirmation of these facts was enough proof for the department of the program.

Due Diligence. Having received Roshan’s application, the department carried out a Due Diligence check on the investor. Due Diligence must be undergone by all applicants over 12 years old, so Samadhi and Lakmal were also checked.

Due Diligence was successfully passed in 3 months. To apply for it, Roshan paid a fee of $19,000: $7,500 for himself and his wife each and $4,000 for his son.

Investing. After the check, the investor gets a month to fulfil the investment conditions. Besides a contribution of $100,000 to the fund, Roshan also needed to pay the government fee of $30,000. Still, expenses under the program have not exceeded the investor’s budget.

$151,425 — Roshan’s expenses for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship for his family

• $100,000 — contribution to the state fund

• $30,000 — government fee

• $19,000 — Due Diligence fee

• $900 — passport issuance fee

• $900 — bank commission

• $625 — oath of allegiance fee

Individual cost calculation for Antigua and Barbuda citizenship

Get the cost calculation

Obtaining passports. Up to another month goes on producing passports and certificates of naturalisation. When ready, they are sent by courier to the investor’s address.

Taking the oath. After the family received their passports, they were supposed to take an oath of allegiance to Antigua and Barbuda and did it by video link. It is also possible to take an oath at a consulate or in-person in Antigua and Barbuda. The oath is to be taken by all the adults included in the application.

In total, it took Roshan about 5 months to obtain citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda.

1

Roshan turned to Immigrant Invest

2

+ 1 day

Preliminary check, signing of the contract

3

+ 2 weeks

Preparation of documents, submission of the application

4

+ 3 months

Due Diligence done by the program department

5

+ 2 weeks

Fulfilment of the investment conditions

6

+ 1 month

Receiving passports and certificates of naturalization

7

+ 1 day

Taking the oath of allegiance

1

Roshan turned to Immigrant Invest

2

+ 1 day

Preliminary check, signing of the contract

3

+ 2 weeks

Preparation of documents, submission of the application

4

+ 3 months

Due Diligence done by the program department

5

+ 2 weeks

Fulfilment of the investment conditions

6

+ 1 month

Receiving passports and certificates of naturalization

7

+ 1 day

Taking the oath of allegiance

Caribbean passports, including one of Antigua and Barbuda, allow their holders to spend up to 180 days per year in the UK. As for the Schengen Area, the total number of days is the same but cannot be spent at a stretch. The Antiguans are permitted to stay in the Schengen countries for up to 90 days every half a year.

The purpose of a visit should be tourism, medical treatment, meetings with business partners, family members or friends. To study and work in the UK, the Antiguans, though, need to obtain visas of a special type.

Samadhi,

the investor's wife

Now I am sure my son Lakmal will never be left alone for a long time in Britain. He is still very young, only 19 years old, and often needs our parental help. So I can come the next day after he asks without waiting for a visa to be issued.

As the Schengen Area is also available for all of us now, we set our minds to spend Lakmal’s next summer holidays together exploring Europe.

The Antiguans, as well as the Sri Lankans, need to obtain a visa to study or work in the UK. A student visa can be obtained by any student who entered a university or college in Britain. A work visa is available for employed foreigners who meet the conditions.

UK university graduates can get a graduate visa for two years, which is designed to give them time to find a job eligible for a work visa. The graduate visa cannot be prolonged: if its holder does not get a job that fits the work visa requirements, they will be asked to leave the country.

Lakmal,

a student at the university in the UK

I have become less concerned about my future. I want to tie my life to England, and I am glad it is happening. I live here on a student visa and count on getting a work visa after graduation. And with my new passport, I am not afraid to fail in finding a suitable job. I have unlimited chances to get back to the UK and try again.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree, Lakmal is planning to continue his education at London Business School.

Both Antigua and Barbuda and Sri Lanka, Lakmal’s homeland, are members of the Commonwealth of nations. Citizens of these countries have a right to apply for UK universities scholarships. If Lakmal’s home country were not a part of the Commonwealth, he would have obtained this right together with Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.

Students approved for the scholarship have their tuition fee fully covered and get a monthly stipend. The Antiguans are eligible to apply for scholarships designed for Master and PhD candidates.

We talked about all the opportunities that opened up for the investor’s family in the guide for the Antigua and Barbuda citizenship by investment program.

Immigrant Invest is a licensed agent for government programs in the European Union and the Caribbean.