Harvey Law Group
Harvey Law Group
"In this scenario Time is much more important than
Cost." states Harvey, "I would even go further and say
If you could guarantee that you could deliver within 90
days, then I can say with confidence, Grenada could
double the price of their CBI program tomorrow
and clients would have no problem paying: its that
simple. Time is Everything. The nature of high net
worth people and families is all about Time.”
“The Grenada passport is very well recognized
worldwide and also the process of due diligence is
also well recognized throughout the industry. If I
could bring the people interested in obtaining a second
passport to Grenada, then I could honestly say that it would
be a very easy sell, because Grenada sells itself. I’m not just
saying that to please you because I am here in Grenada.”
“Our company started CBI sales in St Kitts 7 years ago" he further
adds, "and when I came to Grenada for the first time 4 years ago I
was truly flabbergasted. Having a reference point of visiting many
different Caribbean Islands including St Lucia, Antigua, Dominica I
arrived in Grenada, saw Port Louis and thought wow…That is what a
Caribbean Island should look like!”
“Not only that, the people here are so welcoming, smiling and
friendly, they have made me feel more welcome here than any
other island I have visited. I have now been here about 20 times
and each and every time I come I feel most welcomed and that
for me is very important. Perhaps I stay just long enough not to
outstay my welcome!” he says with a laugh.
However, Harvey cautions:
“Despite all the positives, there are challenges, as
Grenada definitely has to improve its efficiency, they
have made great strides, but more still needs to be
done.”
PHOTO BY TONY MCQUILKIN
38
Citizen Grenada
“Our firm conducts its own due diligence on
clients before we submit to Grenada’s CBI
Committee.
“Surprisingly” Harvey observes, “On average we
have to decline about 10% of applicants for various
reasons, so in no way is this automatic and based
“
man seeking to do international business may
be more suited to Grenada or other Caribbean
jurisdictions. So we fit the right country to the
specific needs and requirements of the client.
As a Law firm we are not going to say how many
clients we have brought into the Grenada’s
CBI program but I can say we have done our
share and its a very good share and we are very
happy to be one of the major contributors to
The Grenada passport is very well recognized
worldwide and also the process of due
diligence is also well recognized
throughout the industry
only on money…Sometimes these people are not
necessarily bad people or criminals but often in
Asia you have situations where an Inheritance
automatically goes to the first son and this is
tradition but nothing is documented, an estate
is just passed to the son and there is no proof
or documentation of how that person obtained
their wealth. So if we cannot prove the source of
their income then sadly they cannot pass our due
diligence and will not be recommended to the
Grenada CBI Committee.
We do not do any kind of indexing, ranking
or ratings of CBI destinations because as
a law firm we would become liable but other
companies within the industry are “Advisory
Services” and as such are entitled to their
opinions so can freely publish their ratings and
rankings.
As a company we are of the opinion that it all
depends on what a client needs.
Its not necessarily about one country offering
150 countries visa free and another country
offering 156 visa free countries they can travel
to, but rather a case by case basis.
A family for instance wanting to educate
their kids in Europe may look to a European
jurisdiction to gain more access to the
educational system they offer, whilst a business
the Grenada CBI program.
I can tell you that 2019 will be a very important
year for Grenada’s CBI program as the second
citizenship market is growing on average
between 10 and 15% per year.
We are looking to represent more Real Estate
projects here in Grenada as presently we
“
Caribbean CBI countries, that is owned and
has been completed by a natural born local
citizen. "All other projects have been owned
by foreigners and made by foreign investment.
Richard Nixon is so far the only local to own and
complete a CBI project and that is something
Grenadians should be proud of." States Harvey
"If your thinking of building a project with only
CBI funding then I think this is a bad idea.
What's good about both Kawana Bay and
Hideaway True Blue is that significant
investment was made by the principal owners.
When we tell a client that the developer has
put in a significant investment into the project
from their own pocket, then that gives a very
positive impression. Remember that we are
dealing predominantly with business people,
who understand the nature of business and
the first question they usually ask is how
much money has the principal owners invested
themselves into the project?"
"If the owner has no skin in the game so to
speak, then the project will not be viewed as
positively as a project that has significant owner
investment." With parting words of advise
Harvey concludes "If you are looking to finance
I can tell you that 2019 will be a very important
year for Grenada’s CBI program as the second
citizenship market is growing on average between
10 and 15% per year.
- Jean Fracois Harvey - Harvey Law Group
“
Of course there is a process that has to be
completed, but in Harvey's opinion, this should not
be taking any longer than 3 months.
It helps us to decide whether we want to
‘onboard’ that Client or not. Grenada’s CBI then
does its own due diligence on the same client
liasing with Interpol and Homeland Security
and other worldwide intelligence agencies for
the most thorough and transparent of checks.”
“
“The biggest challenge for Grenada’s CBI program
is the processing speed in which they can deliver
in a timely manner. Whilst I believe they have
a superior product to other Caribbean Islands,
Time is of the essence, when your dealing with
a high net worth individual who maybe slaps
$300,000 on the table to get something, by
nature, they are used to getting it right away."
represent Hideaway True Blue & Kawana Bay
and both projects are experiencing strong sales
so the inventory is becoming limited. We need
more Real Estate inventory and hopefully that
will happen in 2019.
Kawana Bay, owned by a fellow Canadian, will
be a spectacular resort according to Harvey, but
what he finds so impressive about Hideaway
True Blue, is that it’s principal owner, Richard
Nixon, is the only project to date, in the entire
Citizen Grenada
a complete structure using CBI funding then
that represents in our opinion, a large risk and
we would not recommend this type of business
model." Wise words indeed! CG
Harvey Law Group can be contacted at
7 H A Blaize Street,
St.George’s, Grenada
+1 473 435 8080
[email protected]
www.harveylawcorporation.com
39