Comparative regional report on citizenship law: Anglophone Caribbean Kristy A. Belton 1. Introduction This report compares and evaluates the citizenship provisions of the Anglophone Caribbean based on information found in the Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT) database.1 The countries of this subregion include: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. With one exception, ius soli provisions characterise the subregion. Nearly half of the countries allow for citizenship by investment (CBI) and many of them have different citizenship provisions depending on whether pre- or post-Independence conditions apply. Only half of the countries provide pathways to citizenship for refugees, stateless people and foundlings, but all extend citizenship to noncitizen spouses and most provide special registration procedures for Commonwealth citizens. This report is structured as follows. After this introduction, section 2 outlines some of the main characteristics of citizenship law in the subregion, such as a shared colonial heritage, which has translated into similar pre- and post-Independence citizenship provisions. Subsequently, section 3 compares the subregion’s citizenship acquisition laws, as well as the laws on citizenship loss, showing how citizenship may be lost on grounds as varied as fraud in acquisition to residing abroad. The final section highlights the main debates and trends regarding citizenship matters in the Anglophone Caribbean. 2. Regional specificities Three general features characterise the Anglophone Caribbean’s citizenship laws. The first is the region’s shared colonial heritage. The second is gender bias and the third is openness toward economic investment as a path toward citizenship. Due to their shared British colonial heritage, the countries of the Anglophone Caribbean share similar citizenship acquisition and loss provisions. In some cases, such as that of The Bahamas and Barbados, the phrasing of certain citizenship provisions within their Constitutions and nationality laws are almost identical. A few countries, like St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia, may offer more pathways to citizenship registration than others, but, generally speaking, the region is consistent in its approach to providing citizenship to (and to withdrawing it from) individuals. 1 The GLOBALCIT database on citizenship acquisition is available at: http://globalcit.eu/acquisitioncitizenship/, and the one on citizenship loss is available at: http://globalcit.eu/loss-of-citizenship/. RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-Comp. 2020/3 - © 2020 Authors 1