Citizenship Unit marks two years as a statutory body
The CIU says applications rose 169 per cent in its first 100 days under the new structure and approvals now take 120 to 180 days.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts. The St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit (CIU) has marked two years since it became a statutory body under a Board of Governors, following the passage of the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act in October 2024.
In a review of the period, the Unit, led by Executive Chairman Calvin St Juste, said applications rose by 169 per cent in the first 100 days after the restructuring, and that approval in principle now takes between 120 and 180 days.
The CIU launched its Saturn digital platform in April 2025 to modernise how applications are processed and tracked. Applicants now face mandatory interviews, biometric verification, wider international screening and independent review, and mandatory biometric enrolment for citizens began in April 2026 across a network of 13 locations worldwide.
The Unit also pointed to February 2026, when the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network withdrew a 2014 advisory on the programme. The CIU links that decision to its reforms, although the US Treasury did not publish detailed reasons.
Through the Affordable Housing Public Benefit Option, more than 100 homes have been financed and 19 delivered, the Unit said. Its Micro and Small Business Grant Programme gave 36 businesses EC$10,000 each in 2025, a total of EC$360,000.
