Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The St. Lucia Citizenship-by-Investment Program was established in 2015 by the Saint Lucia National Economic Fund (NEF), which receives the qualifying investments of donations from the program. These funds are used by the government under the national development agenda. The program requires applicants to make a economic contribution to the country. In exchange, and subject to a stringent application process and due diligence checks, the applicant is granted full citizenship.