Grenada occupies a special position among Caribbean citizenship by investment jurisdictions due to a unique feature of its program: Grenadian citizens have eligibility for the United States E-2 investor visa, a treaty benefit unavailable to most Caribbean CBI program holders. This means that a Grenadian citizen — whether by birth or through the CBI program — can apply to live and work in the United States under the E-2 Treaty Investor Visa, which requires a substantial investment in a US business. This combination of Caribbean citizenship with a potential US visa pathway makes Grenada's CBI program particularly attractive to investors from countries without E-2 treaties of their own.
Grenada, a three-island state comprising Grenada itself, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique, has a population of approximately 115,000 and an economy based primarily on tourism and agricultural exports, most notably nutmeg and mace — earning the country the nickname "Spice Isle." The CBI program, formally established in 2013, provides citizenship and a passport with visa-free access to over 140 countries, including the UK and Schengen Area, within a processing time of four to six months.
Grenada has a long migration history shaped by British colonialism, the sugar and then spice industries, and the social upheavals of the 20th century. Significant emigration to the United Kingdom occurred in the 1950s and 1960s, creating diaspora communities in London and other British cities. The political turbulence of the 1970s and 1980s — including the rise of the New Jewel Movement under Maurice Bishop and the subsequent US invasion in 1983 — generated further migration flows as political activists, professionals, and ordinary citizens sought safety and opportunity abroad.
Today, the Grenadian diaspora in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada is an important source of remittances and maintains strong social, cultural, and investment ties with the island.
The US-Grenada Treaty of Commerce and Navigation, signed in 1989, gives Grenadian citizens access to E-2 Treaty Investor visa status — a non-immigrant visa that allows treaty nationals to enter, work, and reside in the US based on a substantial investment in a US enterprise. While the E-2 is a non-immigrant visa (not a green card or path to citizenship), it can be renewed indefinitely and provides an effective long-term US residency option for investors. This treaty benefit has made Grenada's CBI program a first choice for many high-net-worth individuals from China, Iran, and other countries whose nationals lack E-2 eligibility through their birth nationality.
Population: approximately 115,000
Capital: Saint George's
CBI Program: Established 2013
Unique feature: Eligible for US E-2 Treaty Investor Visa
Visa-free access: 140+ countries including UK and Schengen
