On 2 April 2020, CS Global Partners hosted a live webinar featuring an exclusive discussion with Head of Dominica’s CBIU, Ambassador Emmanuel Nanthan.
During the webinar titled “Finding Certainty with CBI in Dominica,” Ambassador Nanthan examined the many benefits of obtaining citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica and touched upon the future direction of the Programme in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ambassador Nanthan, who has held the position of Head of the CBIU for years, is responsible for overseeing the Unit’s day-to-day operations and upholding Dominica’s reputation as one of the world’s leading jurisdictions for investor immigration.
The CBI Programme in Dominica has two routes: The first is the Economic Diversification Fund which supports public and private projects like education, healthcare, and sports on the island.
Discussing the second avenue of Real Estate in Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment Programme, Ambassador Nanthan underscored the importance of all foreign investments working to certify a resilient Dominica.
“To be approved, we ensure the project maintains sustainability and contributes to the green economy. We are building the world’s first climate resilience economy,” he said. “[The projects] must also show that Dominica’s population will benefit from the development through the creation of jobs in construction and the hospitality sector.”
He also reflected on the transparency of the Programme, calling it a “cornerstone”. He said that every successful applicant’s name is published in the island’s official newspaper and all funds are budgeted in detail by the parliament regularly. Recently, Dominica invited experts from London-based accounting firm PwC to scrutinise their records and produce a report on the findings which outlined how funds of CBI contributed to projects like building and repairing of local homes and school.
“We have a very transparent method of doing our business. That’s why Dominicans support the programme in every way possible,” Ambassador Nanthan said.
One of the major advantages of being a Dominican citizen, according to Ambassador Nanthan, is the privilege of mobility. A Dominican passport offers access to over 140 countries and territories across the globe with the option of holding dual nationality. “I can wake up and decide to fly to the UK, China, Brazil or Singapore and I can just take my passport and go,” he said.
He further reflected on the pride of being Dominican and said, “This is a beautiful country. We are a country that believes in kindness and nature and that’s the essence of being a Dominican citizen. The joy of living in a country that is clean, that is green, is part of the pride I have as a Dominican.