2022

Reading Time: 7 min

St Kitts and Nevis citizenship: a US visa denial and judicial process in the investor’s background

I want my business to grow in Europe. There is a demand for my company’s services, and I have already made a couple of successful deals in Germany. But with my experience of getting visas, I understand I won’t move forward in that quickly. I already had a US visa denial, and I don’t want the same story with the Schengen. Business supposes spontaneous travels, meetings and decisions. Not waiting and begging for visas.

Belkacem, 42 years old

An investor from Algeria

Clients’ names and photos have been changed

Visa-free еravelling with St Kitts and Nevis passport

This case was provided by our expert

Vladlena Baranova

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

St Kitts and Nevis citizenship: a US visa denial and judicial process in the investor’s background

Why did the investor from Algeria need visa-free access to Europe

Belkacem is a 42-year-old investor from Algeria. He has a successful cargo delivery business and is now trying to expand his company abroad. Belkacem needs to travel to other countries to develop business connections, meet new partners, and learn about foreign markets. And the most tiresome part of it for the investor is getting visas.

Visa-free travel to Europe with a St Kitts and Nevis passport

To make his business trips abroad less burdensome, the investor decided to get a passport of a country that allows its citizens to travel without visas. The key business areas for the investor were European countries.

Belkacem contacted several consulting companies that help obtain second citizenship by investment. In the end, he chose Immigrant Invest.

Contacting Immigrant Invest

Belkacem left a request for a meeting with Immigrant Invest lawyers and discussed his issue with them. After, the lawyers asked the investor to provide his passport to conduct a preliminary check.

Before starting cooperation and signing a contract with the client, Immigrant Invest lawyers from the internal compliance unit conduct a comprehensive preliminary Due Diligence.

Due Diligence is the key stage in a citizenship program. If an investor passes it, they obtain citizenship. If an investor is refused, the way to other investment programs can be closed.

Up to 1%

Preliminary Due Diligence reduces the risk of application rejection

That is why Immigrant Invest conducts its Due Diligence. Preliminary Due Diligence helps eliminate possible risks and identify a list of suitable programs for an investor.

Suppose the lawyers find points in the investor’s background that could result in their application rejection. In that case, Immigrant Invest experts offer a suitable alternative solution or decline to proceed with the application after explaining the situation to the client concerned.

The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

In Belkacem’s case, there were two ’red flags’ that could lead to his citizenship application’s rejection:

a US visa denial;
a current judicial proceeding.

Immigrant Invest lawyers analysed Belkacem’s situation in detail to understand his chances of obtaining a second passport.

Denial of a visa is a red flag for any migration service. In an application with visa refusals, a program unit can interpret an investor as a potentially dangerous person for a country since other governments refuse them to enter a state.

But visa refusal can be for various reasons, from less severe to more serious.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

In the case of a citizenship application with visa denials, it is important to understand the cause of the denial. For example, a person was denied a visa on criminal grounds because they were accused of drug trafficking or money laundering. Even if an investor was acquitted, there is a high probability that they will not pass Due Diligence

On the other hand, there are less severe reasons for visa refusals. For example, due to incorrectly executed documents. In such a case, visa denial is not a red flag for a citizenship program unit, and an investor can obtain a passport.

In 2021, Belkacem got his visa denial under INA Section 214(b) Visa Qualifications and Immigrant Intent. This rejection means that applicants have not demonstrated strong enough ties to their home countries to force them to leave the US when a visa expires. Strong ties to one’s home country can be work, home, or relationships with family and friends.

How to get second citizenship if you were denied a US visa — An official letter from the US Embassy to Belkacem explaining his visa denial

A refusal under section 214(b) is not permanent, and one can apply again for a visa immediately after receiving a denial. To reapply, one should be able to present evidence of significant changes in circumstances since their last application.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

Belkacem’s visa denial under INA Section 214(b) is not a critical reason to decline to proceed with the citizenship application. With this reason of visa denial, the investor can still participate in any citizenship program successfully.

But It is essential to attach an affidavit explaining the visa denial’s reason when applying for citizenship. So, the program unit will not have questions and misgivings.

The investor’s judicial proceeding was on the property objects he had inherited, for which he was the plaintiff. Belkacem sued the estate’s heirs because he felt he had been shortchanged.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

The judicial procession on the property division does not belong to the category of administrative or criminal cases, and it is exclusively of a civil law nature. Belkacem operates within the law and has no criminal record, meaning Belkacem can participate in any citizenship program.

After a comprehensive preliminary Due Diligence, Immigrant Invest lawyers were sure Belkacem could participate in any citizenship program with a 99.9% chance of getting a second passport.

Choosing a program

The leading goal of Belkacem was to travel visa-free to most countries, including Schengen and the UK. Also, the investor wanted to get a passport quickly. Belkacem’s budget was $200,000. Immigrant Invest lawyers have selected suitable programs for Belkacem.

Five Caribbean citizenship by investment programs matched the investor’s criteria: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Dominica.

7 reasons to get a Caribbean passport

Caribbean passport holders travel visa-free to more than 140 countries, including the Schengen Area, the UK, Singapore, and China. Moreover, the citizens have the right to get long-term tourist or business US visas.

The investor gets a Caribbean passport in 2—6 months. Some countries confer fast-track procedures.

The minimal investment into a country’s economy is $100,000. It’s smaller compared to European programs. For comparison, to get a Montenegrin passport, an investor will spend more than €472,000.

The application process does not need a direct presence in the country, and there is no living requirement in the Caribbean citizenship programs. One application can include a spouse, children under 30, parents over 55, and unmarried brothers and sisters.

Caribbean Citizenship by Investment programs

2—6 months

3—6 months

3—4 months

3—6 months

4—6 months

156 countries visa-free

150 countries visa-free

146 countries visa-free

144 countries visa-free

$150,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$175,000+
buying a social property

Or

$200,000+
buying property

$100,000
contribution to the fund

Or

$200,000+
buying a property

Or

From $150,000
university fund contribution

Or

From $400,000
business investment

$100,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$300,000+
buying a property

Or

From $250,000
buying bonds

Or

From $1,000,000
business investment

$100,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$200,000+
buying a property

$150,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$220,000+
buying a property

St Kitts and Nevis offers the most powerful passport among Caribbean CBI programmes, with visa-free access to 156 countries, including the Schengen Area and Britain. Moreover, St Kitts and Nevis program is the fastest among other Caribbean CBI programs.

Also, Saint Kitts and Nevis passport has a good business reputation. Many Belkacem business partners of the investor are citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Belkacem chose St Kitts and Nevis citizenship program as visa-free travelling to most countries and the ability to get a passport quickly were his primary demands.

Individual cost calculation for St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Get the cost calculation

St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program terms

In exchange for a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport, applicants are to pass a Due Diligence check, make a non-refundable contribution of $150,000 to the state fund, or buy real estate worth $200,000. Also, the investor pays the Due Diligence, the application, notarial, bank and certificate fees.

$158,361

Minimal cost of a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport

Belkacem chose contribution to the government fund over the real estate purchase. He did not want to deal with real estate’s responsibility: its maintenance and further exploitation.

The expenses increase if an investor adds family members to the application. An investor can add:

a spouse;
children aged up to 30, financially dependent on the investor;
parents over 50 years old of both the investor and the spouse;
siblings under 30 years old, unmarried and with no children, of both the investor and the spouse.

Applicants for Saint Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment do not need to take exams on the country’s language or history, live in Saint Kitts and Nevis or even visit the country.

The stages of obtaining a St Kitts and Nevis passport are similar for both investment options: a contribution to the state fund and the real estate purchase. The lawyers collect the documents and submit them to the St Kitts and Nevis CBI unit. Then, the investor passes Due Diligence, fulfils the investment conditions and obtains a passport.

Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Collecting and transmission of documents. Immigrant Invest lawyers have prepared and submitted a package of investor documents to the Citizenship Unit of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It took three weeks to prepare the documents.

When the lawyers submitted the documents, Belkacem paid the Due Diligence fee — $7,500.

Approval of the application. The program unit reviewed Belkacem’s application within the set time limit of two months and did not make any additional requests.

Belkacem’s successful completion of Due Diligence results from Immigrant Invest lawyers’ work. They have prepared a comprehensive document package that meets the program’s requirements. In addition, the lawyers attached affidavits explaining the reason for Belkacem’s visa denial and the issue of his current judicial proceeding.

Immigrant Invest received Belkacem’s application approval by email.

Fulfilment of investment conditions. When Belkacem received approval to participate in the program, he transferred $150,000 to the bank account of St Kitts and Nevis state fund.

Obtaining a passport. The unit received a notification of the transfer of the investments and, within two weeks, has printed certificates of naturalisation and passports for Belkacem.

The investor received the documents from Immigrant Invest two weeks later.

4 months and $158,361 to obtain Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship

30 May 2022

Belkacem turned to Immigrant Invest

+ 1 day

Preliminary Due Diligence

+ 3 weeks

Preparation of documents, filing of the application$7,750

+ 2 months

Due Diligence

21 August 2022

Approval of the application

August 2022

Transfer to the St Kitts and Nevis fund$150,200

+ 4 weeks

Preparation and forwarding of passport$411

18 September 2022

Obtaining passport

30 May 2022

Belkacem turned to Immigrant Invest

+ 1 day

Preliminary Due Diligence

+ 3 weeks

Preparation of documents, filing of the application$7,750

+ 2 months

Due Diligence

21 August 2022

Approval of the application

August 2022

Transfer to the St Kitts and Nevis fund$150,200

+ 4 weeks

Preparation and forwarding of passport$411

18 September 2022

Obtaining passport

The investor’s life with St Kitts and Nevis passport

Now Belkacem is free to travel and successfully build his business partnership abroad. Also, the investor can no longer worry about US visas — citizens of St Kitts and Nevis get a 10-year US tourist visa in 2—3 weeks.

Opportunities for the investor before and after obtaining St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Before

After

❌ Visa required to travel to Schengen countries

✅ Visa-free travel to the Schengen countries

❌ Visa required to travel to the UK

✅ Visa-free travel to the UK

❌ USA visa denials

✅ 10-year B‑1/B‑2 visa to the USA in two weeks

❌ Right to live only in a home country

✅ Right to choose where to live — in the country of citizenship or St Kitts and Nevis

✅ Possibility to move to St Kitts and Nevis at any time

Belkacem is thinking about registering his company in St Kitts and Nevis. It can help him work with his foreign partners. For example, payments can be made without worrying about foreign exchange control regulations. The beneficial owner’s data is not entered in the commercial register when registering a company.

Moreover, St Kitts and Nevis’s tax system seems attractive to Belkacem. The country’s tax residents do not pay taxes on dividends, interest or royalties. There is no tax on wages, capital gains or inheritance in St Kitts and Nevis. Belkacem has already opened a bank account in St Kitts and Nevis.

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

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St Kitts and Nevis citizenship: a US visa denial and judicial process in the investor’s background

The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

In Belkacem’s case, there were two ’red flags’ that could lead to his citizenship application’s rejection:

a US visa denial;
a current judicial proceeding.

Immigrant Invest lawyers analysed Belkacem’s situation in detail to understand his chances of obtaining a second passport.

But visa refusal can be for various reasons, from less severe to more serious.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

In the case of a citizenship application with visa denials, it is important to understand the cause of the denial. For example, a person was denied a visa on criminal grounds because they were accused of drug trafficking or money laundering. Even if an investor was acquitted, there is a high probability that they will not pass Due Diligence

On the other hand, there are less severe reasons for visa refusals. For example, due to incorrectly executed documents. In such a case, visa denial is not a red flag for a citizenship program unit, and an investor can obtain a passport.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

Belkacem’s visa denial under INA Section 214(b) is not a critical reason to decline to proceed with the citizenship application. With this reason of visa denial, the investor can still participate in any citizenship program successfully.

But It is essential to attach an affidavit explaining the visa denial’s reason when applying for citizenship. So, the program unit will not have questions and misgivings.

The investor’s judicial proceeding was on the property objects he had inherited, for which he was the plaintiff. Belkacem sued the estate’s heirs because he felt he had been shortchanged.

Vladlena Baranova,

Head of Legal & AML Compliance Department, CAMS, IMCM

The judicial procession on the property division does not belong to the category of administrative or criminal cases, and it is exclusively of a civil law nature. Belkacem operates within the law and has no criminal record, meaning Belkacem can participate in any citizenship program.

After a comprehensive preliminary Due Diligence, Immigrant Invest lawyers were sure Belkacem could participate in any citizenship program with a 99.9% chance of getting a second passport.

Choosing a program

Five Caribbean citizenship by investment programs matched the investor’s criteria: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Dominica.

7 reasons to get a Caribbean passport

The investor gets a Caribbean passport in 2—6 months. Some countries confer fast-track procedures.

Caribbean Citizenship by Investment programs

2—6 months

3—6 months

3—4 months

3—6 months

4—6 months

156 countries visa-free

150 countries visa-free

146 countries visa-free

144 countries visa-free

$150,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$175,000+
buying a social property

Or

$200,000+
buying property

$100,000
contribution to the fund

Or

$200,000+
buying a property

Or

From $150,000
university fund contribution

Or

From $400,000
business investment

$100,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$300,000+
buying a property

Or

From $250,000
buying bonds

Or

From $1,000,000
business investment

$100,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$200,000+
buying a property

$150,000+
contribution to the fund

Or

$220,000+
buying a property

Also, Saint Kitts and Nevis passport has a good business reputation. Many Belkacem business partners of the investor are citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Belkacem chose St Kitts and Nevis citizenship program as visa-free travelling to most countries and the ability to get a passport quickly were his primary demands.

Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

When the lawyers submitted the documents, Belkacem paid the Due Diligence fee — $7,500.

Approval of the application. The program unit reviewed Belkacem’s application within the set time limit of two months and did not make any additional requests.

Immigrant Invest received Belkacem’s application approval by email.

Fulfilment of investment conditions. When Belkacem received approval to participate in the program, he transferred $150,000 to the bank account of St Kitts and Nevis state fund.

Obtaining a passport. The unit received a notification of the transfer of the investments and, within two weeks, has printed certificates of naturalisation and passports for Belkacem.

The investor received the documents from Immigrant Invest two weeks later.

4 months and $158,361 to obtain Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship

30 May 2022

Belkacem turned to Immigrant Invest

+ 1 day

Preliminary Due Diligence

+ 3 weeks

Preparation of documents, filing of the application$7,750

+ 2 months

Due Diligence

21 August 2022

Approval of the application

August 2022

Transfer to the St Kitts and Nevis fund$150,200

+ 4 weeks

Preparation and forwarding of passport$411

18 September 2022

Obtaining passport

30 May 2022

Belkacem turned to Immigrant Invest

+ 1 day

Preliminary Due Diligence

+ 3 weeks

Preparation of documents, filing of the application$7,750

+ 2 months

Due Diligence

21 August 2022

Approval of the application

August 2022

Transfer to the St Kitts and Nevis fund$150,200

+ 4 weeks

Preparation and forwarding of passport$411

18 September 2022

Obtaining passport

St Kitts and Nevis citizenship: a US visa denial and judicial process in the investor’s background

​Why did the investor from Algeria need visa-free access to Europe

​Contacting Immigrant Invest

​The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

​Choosing a program

Caribbean Citizenship by Investment programs

Individual cost calculation for St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

​St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program terms

​Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

4 months and $158,361 to obtain Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship

​The investor’s life with St Kitts and Nevis passport

Opportunities for the investor before and after obtaining St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Let's discuss the details

Similar сase studies

​Why did the investor from Algeria need visa-free access to Europe

​Contacting Immigrant Invest

​The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

​Choosing a program

Caribbean Citizenship by Investment programs

​St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program terms

​Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

4 months and $158,361 to obtain Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship

​The investor’s life with St Kitts and Nevis passport

Opportunities for the investor before and after obtaining St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

Similar сase studies

Why did the investor from Algeria need visa-free access to Europe

Contacting Immigrant Invest

The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

Choosing a program

St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program terms

Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

The investor’s life with St Kitts and Nevis passport

Why did the investor from Algeria need visa-free access to Europe

Contacting Immigrant Invest

The investor’s risks of his citizenship application rejection

Choosing a program

St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment program terms

Steps to obtain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship

The investor’s life with St Kitts and Nevis passport