U.S., Europe crack down on islands’ citizenship sales

Caribbean “golden passports” are getting more expensive, a response to pressure from the United States and the European Union to crack down on citizenship sales.

Four Caribbean nations — Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda — have agreed to charge at least $200,000 for their passports starting June 30, double the current rate in some cases.

Citizenship-by-investment, or CBI, programs rake in more than $579 million a year in the Caribbean and make up more than half the national revenue of some of the region’s tiny island nations. “Golden passports” give visafree access to the EU, the UK and other countries, making them popular with nationalities that usually would be required to apply for travel permits.

The five Caribbean nations with CBI programs (St. Lucia also has one) have extended citizenship to at least 88,000 people, including many Chinese, Russians and Nigerians, according to a EU report last year. of hours United had planned for its pilots to fly this year, and the additional time off will reduce excess staffing as a result, a spokeswoman for the carrier said. The company didn’t specify how many hours would be cut.

The leave program also could be extended into the summer and potentially the fall, CNBC reported, citing a memo from the Air Line Pilots Association union, which represents United flight crews.

Boeing delays have upended the carrier’s flying plans while a series of safety incidents have drawn the attention of travelers and US aviation regulators.