Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has mounted a vigorous defense of Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, framing it as an indispensable engine for national development, job creation, and entrepreneurship ahead of a critical European Union deadline regarding the future of regional investor citizenship schemes.
Addressing Parliament on Monday, Skerrit contended that CBI proceeds have funded major public infrastructure, tourism properties, and small business initiatives that would have otherwise been impossible to finance.
The Prime Minister’s remarks come as Eastern Caribbean nations navigate escalating diplomatic and regulatory pressure from both Washington and Brussels over security and vetting concerns tied to CBI programmes.
Dominica and four other Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) nations, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia, face a November 12, 2026 deadline to formally respond to the European Commission regarding the future of their programmes .
In a June 2026 directive, EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner presented the five nations with an ultimatum: commit to completely phasing out their CBI schemes by June 1, 2028, or risk losing visa-free access to the 29-country Schengen Area. The EU’s stance is backed by Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, a revised visa suspension mechanism adopted in late 2025 that classifies investor citizenship programmes lacking a genuine link to the host country as sufficient grounds to revoke visa-free travel.
Simultaneously, Dominica is already contending with punitive measures from the United States. Under Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on January 1, 2026, Washington imposed partial travel restrictions on Dominican nationals, citing historical concerns over citizenship granted without residency requirements. The proclamation suspended the issuance of new immigrant visas as well as B-1/B-2 visitor, F and M student, and J exchange visas for Dominicans, while reducing validity periods on other non-immigrant categories. Despite enacting sweeping legislative reforms in October 2025, including mandatory residency rules, stricter due diligence, and an independent regulatory authority, Dominica remains in ongoing bilateral talks with the U.S. State Department to have the curbs lifted.
Against this backdrop of external scrutiny, Skerrit sought to underscore the tangible domestic benefits of CBI funds, pointing directly to major internationally branded hotel developments such as Secret Bay, Intercontinental Dominica, and Ocean Oasis (associated with Ocean’s Edge developments).
“Today the jobs created at Ocean Oasis are because of the government,” Skerrit told Dominican parliamentarians. “The jobs created at InterContinental are because of this government, the jobs created at Secret Bay, Mr. Speaker, are because of this government. So let us set the record straight in Dominica.”
Skerrit defended his administration’s strategy of channeling CBI capital into productive assets and providing concessional financing to existing hotels so they can expand, modernize, and remain competitive. He further disclosed that a World Bank-commissioned study estimates that CBI-financed hotels, once fully operational, could generate roughly US$40 million in projected annual government revenue.
Beyond large-scale tourism, the Prime Minister highlighted grassroots economic empowerment as a cornerstone of the programme’s legacy. He reported that between 2009 and the 2025–2026 period, the government utilized CBI resources to disburse approximately EC$111 million in direct grants to Dominicans for small business development—an initiative separate from loan financing available through the Agricultural Industrial and Development (AID) Bank.
According to Skerrit, the establishment of a dedicated small business support unit fundamentally shifted how the state fosters local entrepreneurship. He pointed to the modernization of cottage industries, such as coconut-based manufacturing, where state-funded equipment has allowed small producers to transition away from labor-intensive manual processes toward higher-capacity, more efficient operations.
Describing the transformation as a “revolution in small business development,” Skerrit maintained that direct CBI-backed investments have enabled ordinary citizens to launch enterprises, generate sustainable income, and achieve greater economic independence at a time when the programme’s long-term survival faces unprecedented international headwinds.
