Can Form 8854 Citizenship 2023-2024

Citizenship is one of the few rights that ostensibly everyone gets just for the sake of being born. Although there are other avenues to becoming a citizen, like marriage or employment, those are often arduous and unsuccessful. But in a handful of countries, getting citizenship is actually quite simple - it's as easy as writing a check. So we wanted to know, where can you buy citizenship? Well, as of 2016, nine countries are effectively selling citizenship. Most are small islands in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and all are relatively cash-strapped. Allowing foreigners to buy citizenship has the obvious effect of raising the country's GDP, but can also culminate in long-term economic prosperity through investments in housing and infrastructure. With that in mind, many countries have made it easy and even affordable for people to buy their way in. The cheapest option is the Caribbean island of Dominica, where citizenship can be purchased for just a hundred thousand dollars or a real estate investment of at least $200,000. This program has existed for more than twenty years; however, it became particularly important to Dominica in 2015 after a tropical storm wiped out roughly 90 percent of the country's GDP. Today, citizenship sales are one of the country's primary sources of revenue. However, the program is set to be mismanaged, and public officials have been accused of pocketing much of the profits. A similar program exists nearby in Saint Kitts and Nevis, two tiny Caribbean islands that form one nation. Like Dominica, Saint Kitts relied on citizenship sales after a series of hurricanes decimated their economy in the late 1990s. Today, citizenship can be procured for a 250,000 dollar flat rate or a $400,000 real estate investment. The deal also includes visa-free travel to the roughly 130 countries that accept a St. Kitts...