Minister with responsibility for the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), Dr. Ernest Hilaire, has strongly defended Saint Lucia’s investment citizenship programme, insisting that the United Kingdom’s recent decision to impose visa requirements on Saint Lucian nationals should not be interpreted as a condemnation of the country’s CIP.
The statement comes against the backdrop of new visa requirements for Saint Lucians visiting or transiting through the UK. The development according to UK officials is a direct response to an influx of applications for asylum from Saint Lucian passport holders.
The UK said the move was necessary to crack down on back door entry into the country.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday morning, Hilaire said the UK Home Office statement has been widely misinterpreted, creating the impression that Saint Lucia’s citizenship by investment programme is responsible for a rise in asylum claims in the United Kingdom.
According to the minister, that conclusion is unsupported by evidence. “I say to this Honourable House that it is wrong to leave the impression that Saint Lucia’s CIP is responsible for this problem when, to date, the data needed to establish that claim has not been shared with us,” Hilaire stated.
The United Kingdom recently announced that Saint Lucian nationals will now require visas to enter the country, citing concerns about asylum applications and illegal work. However, Hilaire noted that UK authorities have not provided data distinguishing between natural-born Saint Lucians and individuals who obtained citizenship through the investment programme.
“We have asked repeatedly for the relevant information on any concern with the CIP,” he told Parliament. “If there are CIP citizens using Saint Lucian passports to claim asylum or work illegally in the United Kingdom, then share the data with us. Tell us how many. Tell us where they are originally from. Give us the information necessary to act.”
Hilaire stressed that Saint Lucia has consistently cooperated with international partners to safeguard the integrity of the programme.
He noted that the government has taken action in the past when credible concerns were raised, including barring certain nationalities from applying under the programme after potential risks were identified elsewhere in the region. “That is what responsible government looks like,” Hilaire said. “It does not gossip. It does not speculate. It acts.”
The minister argued that without evidence identifying specific abuses, the government cannot take targeted action against individuals allegedly misusing Saint Lucian citizenship.
“No responsible government can fix a problem that is not properly placed before it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre confirmed on Monday that there will be a six-week transition period before the new visa requirement fully takes effect. But according to a news release from the British High Commission that measure took effect on March 6th 2026.
Speaking ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister read directly from correspondence from UK authorities indicating that individuals who had already made travel arrangements prior to the announcement will be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom visa-free during that six-week window.
Despite the new visa requirement, Hilaire reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the citizenship programme and maintaining cooperation with international partners.
