Dominica to Compete in Sochi Winter Olympics

Dominica has made history with its first ever representation in the 2014 Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia.

Dominica will be the first country in the Caribbean to take part in the classical skiing race in the annual Winter Olympics. This year will mark history in the Caribbean as Dominica makes its first representation in the Winter Olympics and Jamaica's bobsleighing team taking on the races after 25 years of absence.

47 and 48 year old wife and husband team of Gary di Silvestry and Angelica Marrone di Silvestry will be representing Dominica this year and will compete in cross country skiing. Gary will compete in the men's 15 kilometre race, while Angelica will take part in the women's 10 kilometre race.

Angelica and Gary are scheduled to compete in the classical skiing race on February 13, 2014, and February 14, 2014.

Both athletes will be convoyed to the highly regarded, prestigious world event with their coaches and the head of the Dominica Olympic Committee, Felix Wilson. 

Dominica Requests EU Visa-Free Travel

In an effort to boost their economy, the Commonwealth of Dominica's foreign affairs team has requested that the European Union remove all visa requirements for nationals travelling to Europe.

Along with several other countries, Dominica's Junior Foreign Affairs Minister, Alvin Bernard has asked that visa-free entry to Europe should be open to the British Commonwealth country. ‘We have made some progress and we have had tremendous commitment from various representatives of the Council, but at the moment, the most recent report that we have received is that the Council is at the moment preoccupied," he said. "The consideration of the request from Dominica is still for consideration, but it has been delayed because of the countries from the Middle Eastern area included on the list”.

The efforts made to remove the entry visa to Europe are considered necessary in order to stimulate trade in  Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which was signed five years ago with Europe. Bernard believes that lifting the visa requirements for Dominica and other signatory countries to the EPA is crucial. 

The EPA was originally signed by Dominica and other countries from the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) that would assist the EU considerably for trade. The purpose of the agreement is to make business, trading and investment easier from the two regions therefore helping the Caribbean countries grow their economies and create employment opportunities.

How to Get a Second Passport

There are many second passport programs in the world, although many people are not aware of the handful of incredibly fast and efficient citizenship programs that make obtaining a second passport without having to leave your country of residence country or give up your original passport.

With the exclusion of marriage or birth, a dual citizenship can be granted in one of two ways;

1. Naturalisation: The naturalisation method is a safe and less expensive  method of acquiring a second passport. To proceed with the naturalisation option, permanent residency must first be approved by the government. Upon receiving the approval, you are requested to migrate to said country for a certain time period (depending on the required number of years to earn a citizenship.) Once the requirements have been met, applicants are eligible to apply for citizenship status. This process, depending on the desired country of citizenship, can take anywhere from  3 to 12 years.

2. Economic Citizenship:  This method is a faster, easier and much more convenient alternative whereby you have the option to purchase your citizenship through an investment program. This program is accessible in certain countries around the world including British Commonwealth countries such as St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica and Antigua & Barbuda. The programs can vary with options ranging from a financial donation to the economy of the country, or a real estate investment approved by the government.  

Currently the most popular citizenship by investment program is in the British Commonwealth Island of St. Kitts & Nevis whereby an applicant, upon providing a minimum donation of 250,000 USD to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation (SIDF)  or investing 400,000 USD in property real estate can get a second passport and dual citizenship without residential requirement and in as little as 6 months.

To find out more information about the citizenship by investment program, please visit www.citizenshipservicesgroup.com.