Statement from Office of Prime Minister, Antigua and Barbuda
The Director of the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) and the Chairman of the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), and the lawyers from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, were questioned on the requirements and the workability of granting citizenship to stateless people born in five states—Brunei, Kuwait, Dubai, Saudi Arabia.
The people born in these countries whose fathers were not citizens of those states (nor of any state) remained stateless persons. Despite having significant wealth, several of these stateless persons have been seeking to acquire Antigua and Barbuda citizenship.
The question faced by the lawyers and those responsible for the CIP is: Can they become Antigua and Barbuda citizens and how so?
It was agreed that a slight tweaking of the 2013 Act could indeed result in CIP citizenship for these stateless persons.
The United Nations Convention on Stateless Persons, dating back to 1954, could also be used as a guide.
