By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts and Nevis has announced the immediate suspension of  processing of new applications for citizenship by investment from citizens and residents of Syria.

In a statement, the country’s government said the changes were “made to give the Government maximum flexibility in addressing security and related concerns globally.”

“Our international partners can be assured that St Kitts and Nevis will remain eternally vigilant in the global effort to maintain peace and security for all,” Harris said. “Our country is and will remain a trusted partner in this effort.”

St Kitts has the region’s oldest citizenship by investment program, having first launched in 1984.

There are two options: to investment in designated real estate with a value of at least $400,000, or to make a contribution of $250,000 to the country’s St. Kitts and Nevis Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation. (The numbers rise depending on the applicant’s number of family members).

St Kitts and Nevis is one of a handful of countries in the Caribbean offering citizenship in return for investment, including Dominica, Grenada and Antigua and Barbuda.