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Both Dominica and the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda appeared on a restricted list published on December 16 by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration because they historically allowed wealthy foreigners to buy passports without having residency.<\/p>\n
However, under pressure from the US and Europe, both nations now do require part-time residency and have been tightening rules and raising prices. That prompted suggestions from their leaders that the Trump administration had acted in error. In a statement December 17, Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne said he was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d by the decision and said Washington\u2019s stated rationale \u201cdoes not reflect the present reality of our laws.\u201d<\/p>\n Dominica Prime Minster Roosevelt Skerrit, meanwhile, told local outlet DBS News that his nation had already implemented residency requirements for its citizenship-by-investment programme \u201cwith the support\u201d of the US government. \u201cThis could very well be a situation of lack of communication,\u201d he said of the travel ban.<\/p>\n CBI programmes are a critical source of funding for Caribbean nations with few natural resources. In Dominica, passport sales account for 58% of national revenue and in Antigua they represent about 10% of the budget.<\/p>\n The US administration rolled out its own \u201cTrump Gold Card\u201d just last week, offering expedited US visas and residency to people willing to pay $1 million. First announced in February, the programme is part of the president\u2019s broader upheaval of immigration policy.<\/p>\n
Also read |<\/strong>\u00a0Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to 20 more countries<\/a><\/p>\n