Saint Lucia opposition draws into question PM’s statements about CIP commissions, heritability

In a press statement released today in response to statements Saint Lucian Prime Minister Allen Chastanet made in Geneva on June 7th, reported by Investment Migration Insider, the Saint Lucia Labour Party claims the PM’s statements are inconsistent with Saint Lucian law.

“The law presently only allows for one generation only, to inherit citizenship by descent. A descendent of a person who has been granted citizenship through the CIP cannot pass on citizenship to their children.These children must be born in Saint Lucia to be granted citizenship. The SLP calls on the Prime Minister to explain his statements and whether there is an intention to change the laws of Saint Lucia to allow for what he announced.”

Investment Migration Insider, who was present in Geneva and was the original source of the story, notes that the Prime Minister never mentioned anything about the third generation being able to inherit the citizenship if neither they nor the parents are born outside Saint Lucia. Indeed, this would be inconsistent with citizenship law in most jurisdictions, with countries like Ireland, Italy and Isreal among the notable exceptions. The PM’s statements merely indicated that children of CIP applicants would be able to inherit the citizenship, not their children’s children.

The Prime Minister’s exclusive 26-minute interview with Investment Migration Insider may be viewed free of charge here.