KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – The St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has confirmed that it granted citizenship to 403 people since 2019, with Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves describing as “probably a fake website” that had recently published an article indicating that he had granted citizenship to 352 foreigners in 2019.
Gonsalves said the article published by a St. Lucia-based website had been drawn to his attention and that he needed to provide the correct information.
The article claimed that 352 people were awarded Vincentian citizenship between 2019 and 2024.
“I think I owe the House and the country the presentation of some information given what has arisen,” said Gonsalves, who has ministerial responsibility for the granting of citizenship.
His comments follow the decision of the Parliament to approve a law granting Vincentian citizenship to the surviving members of the 1975 Men’s West Indies Cricket Team.
He told Parliament last weekend that the information published on the website had been repeated on a radio station.
“Well, I knew straight away that that couldn’t be true, because I know the numbers; not precisely in every year, but broadly,” Gonsalves said, adding “and any citizenship which has been granted, been granted within the terms of those eligible for consideration by the authority for citizenship upon application for registration as a citizen”.
Gonsalves said that according to official figures provided to him, 74 people were granted citizenship in 2019. Of these, 54 were by registration, “that is to say, persons who have been living here for over seven years, or who got permanent residence and qualified to be a citizen later on”.
The other 20 people obtained Vincentian citizenship through marriage.
“Incidentally, on one occasion, I recall that an honourable member of the opposition had asked me a question — might have been 10 years ago — about numbers,” Gonsalves said.
He stated that 65 people were granted Vincentian citizenship in 2020, including 35 through marriage, “within the terms which I have outlined for persons over the seven years.”
Gonsalves told Parliament that he was presenting the numbers as they had been given to him.
“I haven’t interrogated them with the staff. I assume that they wouldn’t send me incorrect information,” he said.
According to the figures, 55 people were granted citizenship in 2021, with the figure declining to 48 a year later.
“When one of my security officers told me about that, I said, well, the number, that is a hugely inflated number. But in any case, they would be either marriage or by naturalisation,” he said, referring to the claim that 252 people were granted citizenship in 2019.
The official figures also show that 63 people were granted citizenship in 2023, including two St. Lucians and a Trinidadian, who were granted citizenship under a law that allows the government to grant citizenship to grandchildren of people born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Gonsalves said the children of people born here are eligible for Vincentian citizenship as a constitutional right and that last year, 63 people were granted Vincentian citizenship, including 17 by way of marriage.
“Those by registration are through the naturalisation process and 15-second generations. And interesting for these second generations, they were British, Guyanese, Trinidadian, Canadian,” Gonsalves said, adding that they were grandchildren of people born here.
“And then we had introduced administratively a requirement … if you’re a citizen by descent, first generation, we advise you to come and get a citizenship certificate, so you can have something to say that you’re a first generation, not second.
“And there were six such persons. But this wouldn’t affect anybody. If you go and you turn up with your birth certificate and so on, the normal way to the passport office for your passport.”
Gonsalves said this was part of an effort by the government to “build a record of first generations, too, now that we have been second generations.
“And then up to the present time, in 2025, we have 12 by marriage up to today, and 23 by naturalisation. And first generation who obtained certificates, there were seven of them, and those who got second generation… ”
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