CBI Magazine Autum/Winter 2023

Q&A with TM Antoine
Cindy-Emmanuel-McLean
Firstly, please introduce yourself and provide a
brief overview of the program.
It is a pleasure to introduce myself as Cindy Emmanuel-McLean,
Consulting Partner of TM ANTOINE Partners Advisory Inc in
St. Lucia, and leading expert on CIP St. Lucia. I had the distinct
honour of being the first ever CEO of the Citizenship by
Investment Unit, way back in 2015, when the Unit was an idea
and a set of legislation with the hope of bringing St. Lucia into
the new and exciting realm of citizenship by investment.
The CIP Program of today is far removed from what it was
visualized and formulated to be back then, but I think it is way
better than it was before in most respects. It has been great to see
the transition and I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you.
Q1: St. Lucia recently simplified its
documentation requirements when making
an application, what is now required to
apply for St. Lucia citizenship?
St. Lucia does have plans to simply its documentation
requirements soon. That is something we as agents are looking
forward to, because we think that making it simpler for our clients
to complete the application is great. However, in response to your
query, I think that what will be required to apply for
St. Lucia citizenship will remain the same. The aim of the forms
and supporting documents has always been, and I daresay will
always be to get the most comprehensive profile of a prospective
citizen as one can on paper. You will note that, the forms delve into
KYC questions so that a risk profile of the applicant can be built.
That profile, together with the deep background check puts the
Unit in a position to determine whether or not a prospective
client is a good fit for Citizenship.
Interestingly, the Unit has just added another layer of an
'in-person' interview with applicants. As of September 4, 2023,
all new applicants will need to have an interview with the Unit
to qualify for citizenship. That aids in building a complete
profile of the applicant.
Q2: What do you think are the most noteworthy
investment options? What are your
suggestions for HNWIs in choosing among
the options and applying for the program?
Interesting question. As an agent, I do not think that there is
just one most noteworthy investment option. I think all are
noteworthy. My job is really finding the best match for each client.
As many clients as I have had, and I have had thousands, is
ten times the number of variables to consider when choosing
an investment option. My advice to HNWIs is to first pick a
representative who will be open and frank with you about the
possibilities and the various options. It is also imperative that each
person considering citizenship by investment be very clear about
their motive and what they want to get out of the experience.
These two things together will help ensure that each person gets
the investment option that works best for them.
Q3: Why Caribbean? How is this a safe and wise
choice to invest in the St. Lucia CBI Program?
You ask a Caribbean girl, why the Caribbean? Why not the
Caribbean? But seriously, investing in CIP St. Lucia is perhaps
one of the easiest decisions that one can make. You are talking
about investing in of the most beautiful places on earth. We have
a stable economy and government; we are easy to get to from
anywhere is the globe. I like to say that St. Lucia is no more that
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Citizenship By Investment