The UK Home Office has announced visa restrictions for citizens of Dominica, Honduras, Namibia, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. Home Affairs Minister Suella Braverman said the decision was made after receiving evidence of abuses in Dominica and Vanuatu's citizenship by investment (CPI) programs, including granting citizenship to people posing a risk to the UK.
The changes take effect immediately, with a four-week grace period for travelers who have already purchased flights. This departure from the usual 21-day screening period was chosen to avoid a potential increase in the number of travelers before the new visa regime comes into force.
Dominica has already attempted to remedy the situation by revoking citizenship granted to investors who concealed "material facts" in their passport applications, including previous UK visa refusals.
The countries of the "Caribbean Five" are now reviewing the applications already submitted with a view to concealing such facts. The revision comes within the framework of a six-rule guideline that the EU asks all countries with citizenship-by-investment programs to follow. This list of rules was not officially announced, but was published in the media with links to reliable sources. Saint Kitts and Nevis has already made changes to the program in accordance with these rules.
