US withdraws advisory on St. Kitts and Nevis, gives green flag to its Citizenship Programme

St Kitts and Nevis: The St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit has announced that the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has rescinded its advisory, which was issued in 2014, on the Federation’s Citizenship Programme as of February 24, 2026. 

This rescission of advisory is a result of the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit’s detailed reforms that improved the programme’s compliance and due diligence framework. The Executive Chairman of the Citizenship Unit, Calvin St. Juste said that the decision was made after FinCEN’s strong confidence in the programme’s new governance structure as a statutory body.

The Citizenship Programme has been re-structured through comprehensive and sustained amendment. The government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the programme’s Citizenship Unit has introduced extensive structural changes in recent years.

These include the strengthening of due diligence frameworks, greater international cooperation, commissioning of independent external reviews and audit, introduction of mandatory applicant interviews, the implementation of advanced biometric identity verification systems, and full alignment of operational procedures with the AML/CFT global standards.

The Citizenship Unit was formally established as a statutory body, with improved oversight, increased accountability, and strategic direction, as it is now operating under the supervision of a Board of Governors. 

According to Executive Chairman Calvin St. Juste, the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship Unit took the advisory seriously from the beginning. He said that the Unit established extensive reforms to strengthen due diligence procedures, compliance systems, 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. 

Reforms added to the Citizenship Programme

Firstly, its transformation to a statutory body also ensures institutional independence, accountability, and strategic oversight. This has also helped strengthen their structures for compliance monitoring and decision-making.

Secondly, due diligence procedures have also been upgraded, with in-depth background checks and extensive financial audits; close collaboration with top international due diligence companies; and all applicants required to provide biometric data, such as fingerprints and facial recognition.

The programme will also introduce a “genuine link” requirement in 2026. Applicants will be required to show their substantive and ongoing connection to St. Kitts and Nevis. This includes physical presence in the country, meaningful economic activity that creates jobs or establishment of businesses, or social and community development engagement.

“Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our processes and maintain the governance standards that led to the removal of the advisory," said St. Juste.