IS SAINT KITTS & NEVIS' NEW PRE-ARRIVAL SCREENING PROCEDURE FOR VISITORS INTENDED TO BLOCK CRIMINALS HOLDING SKN CBI PASSPORTS?

The Federation of Saint Christopher & Nevis, more commonly known as SAINT KITTS, has announced a new program, ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORISATION, or eTA, a pre-screening, pre-arrival requirement for all visitors to the two island nation. It is the only East Caribbean country to have such a program, and given the context, sounds suspiciously like the government is seeking to block those Chinese holding SKN Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passports, and who have engaged in money laundering, fraud, and various other types of financial crime in North America and Europe, from relocating to Basseterre, the capital of Saint Kitts, where they are immune from extradition.

Tens of thousands of CBI passports, which afford the holders the absolute right of residence, have been sold in Asia by the CARIBBEAN GALAXY GROUP, at an illegal discounted rate. A large number of individuals have artfully employed their SKN CBI passports to facilitate criminal conduct in the West, which Kittitian government officials have pointedly ignored. It is telling that the official who made the public announcement about the unveiling of eTA was Calvin St. Juste, Chairman of the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit, known as the CIU. His agency has no authority over the protection of its borders, the specified reason he has stated in the recent press release, leading us to conclude that there is a well-placed fear CBI passport holders engaged in transnational crime, returning "home" in large numbers would not only be politically disruptive to Government, but taint Saint Kitts as a safe haven for career criminals.

Also, I don't buy the border protection excuse. In truth and in fact, Saint Kitts, which greatly relies upon expanding tourism, will most likely drive away potential visitors from abroad, who will far more easily decide to take their Caribbean holidays elsewhere, And what about the cruise ship passengers? Will it cause cruise lines to avoid Saint Kitts altogether?

Saint Kitts is, as Calvin St. Juste stated, "protecting national interests" all right, by reserving the right to block all those bad actors holding their passports, and who purchased them in violation of the law, from ever setting foot in the country at Robert Bradshaw International Airport. This way, the CIU thinks it has kept them at bay. We wonder how all this will unfold, and we will be watching. Is Saint Kitts underestimating all their dodgy CBI citizens, Mr. Juste?