St. John’s, Antigua –The European Union has formally asked five Eastern Caribbean nations to phase out their citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes by June 2028, warning that the schemes are no longer compatible with the bloc’s visa-free travel policy.

Letters sent by the European Commission on June 25 to the governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia requested that the countries begin winding down their programmes under the EU’s revised Visa Suspension Mechanism, according to statements released by regional governments.

The move marks the strongest action yet by Brussels against the Caribbean’s investment migration industry, which has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the five members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) over the past decade and become a key source of funding for public investment and government budgets.

The Commission proposed a 24-month transition period ending on June 1, 2028. During that period, it asked participating countries to implement additional safeguards, including excluding applicants subject to European Union restrictive measures and strengthening screening procedures for all nationalities by September 2026.

The European Commission also said it would assess each country’s response in its next Visa Suspension Mechanism Report, due in December 2026.

The requests come as the citizenship-by-investment industry faces growing scrutiny from major Western partners. The United States has also raised concerns over investment migration programmes in the Caribbean and has introduced visa-related measures affecting several participating countries, prompting regional governments to review aspects of their programmes.

The five OECS countries have argued that citizenship-by-investment programmes are vital to their economies, providing non-tax revenue that has financed infrastructure projects, healthcare, education, disaster recovery and debt reduction in small island states with limited natural resources and high exposure to climate-related disasters.

In a statement, the Antigua and Barbuda government said it would continue engaging with the European Commission but would not support ending its programme without “viable, concrete and credible” replacement sources of revenue.

The government said it would continue excluding applicants subject to EU restrictive measures, strengthen due diligence procedures and consider any additional safeguards necessary to meet European security standards while discussions continue.

It remains unclear whether the other four OECS governments will adopt a common negotiating position, although regional leaders have previously indicated they intend to coordinate their response to mounting international pressure on the programmes.