The investment immigration experts of Astons revealed how a second citizenship helped their client stick to his plans under very difficult circumstances.

An Astons client shared his story: the decision to obtain a passport of St Kitts and Nevis not only allowed Dmitry and his family to cross global borders freely but also remained faithful to his business plans regardless of the geopolitical situation.

Family circumstances

Dmitry, 45 years old, a Russian national, and co-owner of a media agency, has never considered getting a second passport before. Although his job required a lot of international travel, Dmitry has always been full of beans. He hasn’t had any issues with the formalities and got his long-term Schengen visa. Since Dmitry is a well-organised person, he planned the year in advance. In June he needed to get to London for business negotiations. He intended to spend July, August and September in France with his family – in their coastal summer house.

Dmitry planned to fly from London directly to Southern France where he would meet his family: his wife Polina, 36 years old, a Russian national, and yoga instructor, his son Martin, 10 years old, and his parents Elvira Viacheslavovna and Alexander Evgenyevich, 72 and 74 years old respectively, Russian nationals.

However, because of the pandemic, Dmitry’s plans were jeopardised. The countries started closing their borders, the embassies ceased issuing visas and these very visas didn’t provide you the right of entry any longer.

“When it became obvious that the pandemic is here to stay and the governments would impose serious limitations, I realised I had to do something about it,” said Dmitry. “I had to find a way to leave Russia and enter the UK and France later on. I also had to find a way to move my family – it all seemed impossible under the new circumstances.”

At first, Dmitry thought of cancelling the trip to London and having an online meeting. “It seemed a bad workaround though,” Dmitry told us. “It’s one thing if all of us couldn’t come to London and would have to chat in Zoom. Another thing is when I can’t attend a serious meeting which I have been preparing for many years. As my partners are EU citizens, they didn’t have any problems visiting the UK.”

Dmitry started thinking of methods to travel, yet he soon realised that even a private jet wouldn’t be a solution. “I needed to get a passport that would enable me to cross the borders without limitations. Ideally, my family would obtain the same passport.” By recommendation from an old friend, Dmitry contacted the immigration experts at Astons.

 

Choosing a citizenship

When Dmitry contacted Astons, he formulated his needs very specifically: he needed a second citizenship that would enable him to enter the UK and Europe later on. He needed the passport for himself and the family so that the entire process would be quick and remote. Dmitry also informed Astons that he was interested in a cost-effective solution that wouldn’t require millions of investment.

Having studied the client’s needs, the Astons consultants suggested Dmitry should look into the investment migration programmes of the Caribbean region. These programmes allow investors to obtain their passports remotely and travel across the globe without a visa.

Dmitry studied the conditions, consulted with his family and chose the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme of St Kitts and Nevis. “My wife and I decided a passport of St Kitts and Nevis would be a good fit for us,” comments Dmitry. “This passport can be processed not only for ourselves but also for our child and my parents. Also, the citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis can be obtained in just six weeks so I was hoping to make it to the meeting in London and take my family for a vacation later.”

 

The benefits of St Kitts and Nevis passport

The passport of this Caribbean country allows its holders to visit 152 countries without a visa, including the UK and the EU. This citizenship can be obtained pretty fast – in just two or three months, and in 45–60 in case of express application processing. That’s exactly what Dmitry opted for – he became a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis in one and a half months.

The CBI of St Kitts and Nevis gets a passport to foreign investors and their dependents: spouse, children under 30 years old, parents and grandparents over 55. Naturally, all the passports can be processed remotely.

 

Choosing an investment type

The Astons lawyers informed the client of various investment types: a non-reimbursable donation of $150,000 or property purchase from $200,000 (in shared proprietorship) – $ 400,000 (in sole proprietorship).

Dmitry opted for the donation to the state fund of St Kitts and Nevis. “Although St Kitts and Nevis has some great property offerings and the realty can be sold in 5-7 years, I wasn’t interested in buying a villa or resort at that point,” said Dmitry. “I just needed a passport that would allow me to exit Russia and enter the UK and Europe. So I decided to make the minimum investment, i.e. the donation.”

The Astons experts remind you that you can arrange a passport of St Kitts and Nevis for the entire family with a discount till the end of 2020. The donation for a family of four (the investor and three family members) will amount to just $150,000 – the same as for a single applicant. Every extra dependent will be charged just $10,000.

Fast and remote processing of St Kitts and Nevis passport

After Dmitry made up his mind, the experienced Astons lawyers rendered comprehensive service to the client, starting with document preparation and checking.

The client was happy with Astons’ turnkey solution: the lawyers helped him collect the essential documents, double-checked, translated and notarised them and submitted the application to the authorities of St Kitts and Nevis. “Although my wife was kidding that the Caribbean country would now dig up some dirt on me, I didn’t worry at all,” remembers Dmitry. “I knew the government of St Kitts and Nevis would check my application thoroughly, but I had nothing to hide. I’ve never had any problems with the law or taxes and all the documents were carefully checked by the Astons lawyers.”

The entire immigration process was very fast: the Astons lawyers prepared the documents for Dmitry and his family just a few days after the client had first contacted them. In one and a half months, Dmitry and his family – his wife Polina, his son Martin and his parents Elvira Viacheslavovna and Alexander Evgenyevich became citizens of St Kitts and Nevis and could travel across the world without limitations.

“After I obtained the passport, I flew off to London for the meeting and made a great deal there,” says Dmitry. “Then I moved from the UK to France where I reunited with my family. Getting a second citizenship is one of my wisest decisions this year. Maybe the best one.”

Astons is a leading global immigration advisory firm with offices worldwide. We offer residency & citizenship investment solutions in Europe and the Caribbean. For further information or to discuss your personal circumstances in a private consultation, please contact Astons at [email protected].