Revised Laws of Saint Lucia (2022)

36.   Approval, denial or delay of application

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   (1)   The Board shall after consideration of an application for citizenship referred to it by the Unit —

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      (a)     grant;

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      (b)     deny; or

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      (c)     delay, for cause,

an application for citizenship by investment.

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   (1A)   Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), in the case of a qualifying investment of cash by a qualifying dependant, the Board may grant an application for citizenship by investment to the qualifying dependant of the citizen, if the Board is satisfied that the qualifying dependant —

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      (a)     is a child born, or legally adopted, after the application was made by the citizen;

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      (b)     is the spouse of the citizen and was married after the application was made by the citizen; and

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      (c)     was a qualifying dependant when the application was made by the citizen and the application for citizenship by investment of the qualifying dependant is made no more than 5 years after the application was made by the citizen.

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   (Inserted by Act 12 of 2019 and substituted by Act 4 of 2020)

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   (1B)   Subsection (1A) applies from the 1^st day of January, 2016. (Inserted by Act 12 of 2019)

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   (2)   The Board shall notify the applicant and the Minister in writing of the decision made regarding the application.

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   (3)   An applicant who —

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      (a)     provides false information;

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      (b)     has been convicted of a criminal offence except where the offence is a minor traffic offence;

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      (c)     is the subject of a criminal investigation;

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      (d)     is considered to be a potential national security risk;

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      (e)     is involved in any activity likely to cause disrepute to Saint Lucia;

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      (f)     has been denied a visa to a country with which Saint Lucia has visa-free travel and has not subsequently obtained a visa to that country,

shall not be approved for citizenship under this Act.

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   (4)   Where an application is approved under subsection (1)(a) the Board shall notify the applicant of the approval within 30 days of the decision and shall require —

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      (a)     payment of any other fees within 60 days; and

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      (b)     payment of the qualifying investment within 90 days of the grant of the application,

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        unless the applicant makes a request to the Board for an extension of the time specified under paragraphs (a) and (b).

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      (Substituted by Act 12 of 2019 and by Act 4 of 2020)

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   (4A)   On receipt of a request under subsection (4), the Board may grant an extension of time not exceeding 90 days from the end of the period specified under subsection (4)(a) or (b), if the Board determines that it is reasonable to grant the extension. (Inserted by Act 12 of 2019 and substituted by Act 4 of 2020)

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   (4B)   Notwithstanding the time period specified under subsection (4A), the Board may grant an extension of time for a period exceeding 90 days if unforeseen circumstances exist. (Inserted by Act 4 of 2020)

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   (5)   An applicant who has satisfied all the requirements of the application and is granted citizenship by investment shall take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to Saint Lucia as prescribed by the Minister.

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   (6)   An applicant who is granted citizenship by investment shall enjoy all the rights of a citizen and also be subject to the laws of Saint Lucia including exemption from the requirements of the Aliens (Licensing) Act.