Economic Citizenship
When a foreign investor for a real estate project in another country is applying for a citizen in that country because of their investment is a program called Economic Citizenship. If the investor passes the usual security checks, they pay an additional application fee and their family members are approved for economic citizenship. They are given a second passport, and all the rights and privileges that come with the citizenship. This is a demonstration that in this day and age, citizenship is a free choice based on lifestyle and doesn’t necessarily have to be where you were born.
The increase in foreign capitalization benefits countries such as St. Kitts. This helps increase the strength of its economy and develop infrastructure. Economic citizenship encourages foreign investors to finance projects throughout the country. Most programs require a minimum investment in an approved real estate development or other project. It also requires an application fee for the applicant and any other family members.
Economic Citizenship give the investing individual the privilege to work and live in the country freely with no restrictions, their business also benefit from escaping taxes in their home country. Holding a passport for St. Kitts for example, makes international travel easier, because the individual will not have to apply for a visa for 125 countries around the world.
This citizenship represents both the economic contributions required to become a citizen as well as the role in which a person’s economic standing can influence his or her rights as a citizen. The relationship between citizenship and economic participation can be considered contributing factor to increasing inequalities and unequal representation of different socioeconomic classes within the country you are applying in.
The republican model of citizenship emphasizes one’s active participation in civil society as a means of defining his or her citizenship. In relation to economic citizenship the civil participation can be described as economic participation so critical to the capitalist system. Defining one’s ability to be a full citizenship by his or her economic participation will establish a variegated system of citizenship in which those who can contribute most to the economy will be better represented and have a broader range of rights than those who cannot contribute as much. Variegated citizenship represents the concept that those within a different regime or status receive different levels of rights and privileges.
There are arguments that contribute to the notion of economic citizenship because they highlight both how economic standing and participation can be linked to one’s identity and privileges as a citizen.