Citizenship not for sale, says PM Mottley

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has made it clear that Barbados’ citizenship will never be for sale, even as the government prepares to modernise immigration and nationality laws.

In a national address on Sunday night, she pointed to the Immigration Bill 2025 and the Citizenship Bill 2025, now before a Parliamentary Committee for consultation, as key to creating a fairer and more transparent system.

“My friends, let me be extremely blunt. Barbados will not sell citizenship. We will not sell citizenship,” Mottley said.

She stressed that the Barbadian passport, “respected among the strongest in our region and the world,” is not a commodity to be traded but a reflection of national identity.

Mottley explained that the reforms will give descendants of Barbadians down to great-grandchildren a right to citizenship, extend preferential treatment to CARICOM nationals, and provide a humane path to permanent residence for others, including spouses of Barbadians. (SM)