Special Envoy St. Juste Says Reforms Restored Confidence as FinCEN Lifts Advisory On Citizenship Programme

The St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) says it is now turning its focus to the next phase of oversight and compliance after the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) last week removed its long-standing advisory on the Federation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.

The advisory, which had been in place since 2014, was officially rescinded on 24th February, 2026 following a series of governance and due-diligence reforms introduced by the Government and the Citizenship Unit.

Executive Chairman of the Citizenship Unit, H.E. Calvin St. Juste, said the decision reflects renewed international confidence in the programme’s administration and oversight.

“The rescission of the FinCEN advisory reaffirms confidence in the Programme under our new governance framework as a statutory body,” St. Juste said.

He explained that the Unit treated the advisory as a serious concern and undertook structural changes aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and security.

“We took the advisory seriously and implemented comprehensive reforms to our due diligence processes, compliance framework, and security measures. The lifting of this advisory demonstrates that our commitment to good governance and upgraded processes has been effective in addressing the identified issues,” he added.

Among the measures introduced were enhanced background checks, partnerships with international due diligence firms, mandatory applicant interviews and the use of biometric identity verification including fingerprint and facial recognition screening.

The CIU also increased cooperation with local, regional and international law enforcement agencies to improve information sharing and strengthen security oversight.

St. Juste said the programme will continue evolving, including the introduction of a “genuine link” requirement intended to ensure successful applicants maintain a demonstrable connection to the Federation through residency, economic activity or national development engagement.

The Citizenship Unit was also established as a statutory body governed by a Board of Governors, a change officials say improves institutional independence and monitoring of compliance standards.

Looking ahead, St. Juste said the CIU it intends to maintain strict controls to preserve the credibility of the programme.

“Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our processes and maintain the governance standards that led to the removal of the advisory. Our focus as a statutory body remains on ensuring robust due diligence, good governance and compliance with international AML/CFT standards,” he said.