How to Vet an Authorised Local Agent for Grenada CBI

No one can apply for Grenada citizenship by investment directly. Every application must be lodged by an Authorised Local Agent licensed by the Investment Migration Agency (IMA), formerly known as the CBI Unit. That makes the choice of agent one of the most consequential decisions in the whole process: the agent shapes the file, speaks to the IMA on your behalf, handles significant sums of money and, in practice, controls the flow of information to you.

The market is crowded. Grenadian law firms and licensed consultancies act as local agents, while international advisers, wealth managers and marketing firms in applicants' home countries introduce clients to them. Some of these intermediaries are excellent; some add cost without adding value; a few are not what they claim to be.

This page sets out how the agent structure works, how to check that a firm is genuinely licensed, what a fair engagement looks like, and the warning signs that should make you walk away. It does not recommend particular firms; that judgement is yours to make with evidence.

Local agents, marketing agents and introducers

The Authorised Local Agent is the firm that signs and lodges the application in Grenada. It must hold a licence from the IMA and is subject to the programme's rules on conduct, record keeping and client screening. Most are law firms or specialist consultancies with offices in St George's, and many have years of experience with the programme.

Separately, international marketing agents promote the programme abroad. Under the programme's framework, marketing agents are expected to be approved, and they generally cannot lodge applications themselves; they work in partnership with one or more local agents. Beyond them, a wide range of introducers, from private bankers to migration consultants, may refer clients for a fee.

A chain of intermediaries is not wrong in itself. An adviser in your own country who speaks your language and understands your documents can be genuinely useful. But every link adds a fee, and responsibility can become blurred. Before signing anything, be clear about which Grenadian firm will lodge your application and what each party will actually do.

Checking that an agent is genuine

A few basic checks eliminate most of the risk of dealing with an unlicensed or fictitious firm. Do them before you sign or pay:

1. Ask for the full legal name of the Grenadian firm that will lodge your application, not only the brand name of the adviser you met.
2. Check that name against the list of Authorised Local Agents published by the IMA. The list is the authority, not a certificate shown on a website.
3. Confirm that the individual you are dealing with actually works for or with that firm; ask the firm directly through contact details you found independently.
4. If an international adviser is involved, ask which local agent they work with and whether they are an approved marketing agent.
5. Check that payment instructions point to an account in the name of the licensed firm or to official government accounts, never to a personal account.
6. Search the firm and its principals for adverse media, disciplinary action or litigation, as you would for any significant business relationship.

What a sound engagement letter covers

Scope of services. Exactly what the agent will do: preparation and review of documents, lodging the application, communication with the IMA, interview preparation, post-approval steps and passport collection.

Fee breakdown. Professional fees shown separately from government fees, due diligence fees and third-party costs such as translations and couriers, with the timing of each payment.

Refund terms. What happens to each payment if you withdraw, if the application is refused, or if the agent cannot proceed. Due diligence fees are normally non-refundable; professional fees vary.

Handling of client money. How government fees and the investment amount are held and transferred, and whether a separate client account is used.

Confidentiality and data. How your documents and personal data are stored, who has access and how long they are kept.

Communication. Who your point of contact is, how quickly you can expect replies, and how IMA correspondence is passed on to you.

Red flags

Some warning signs are obvious; others are easy to rationalise when you are keen to proceed. Treat any of the following as a reason to stop and check, or to walk away:

• Guaranteed approval or a guaranteed decision date. The IMA decides; no agent can promise the outcome.
• Discounts on the investment below the published minimums, or offers to structure the payment so that less is actually invested.
• Pressure to omit a past visa refusal, conviction, business interest or relative in public office.
• Requests to pay government fees or the investment into a personal account or an account in an unrelated company's name.
• No written engagement letter, or one that does not name the licensed Grenadian firm.
• Reluctance to show you the completed forms before they are lodged in your name.
• Claims of special access to ministers, officials or decision-makers.
• A very low quote that seems to leave out government or due diligence fees, which are then added later.

Questions worth asking at the first meeting

Good agents welcome probing questions because they reveal how the firm works. Ask how many Grenada files the firm has lodged over the past few years, without expecting confidential client details. Ask who in the firm will actually prepare your file and who will review it before it is lodged. Ask how the firm handles a request for further information and how quickly it typically responds.

Ask about difficult cases: what the firm does when its own screening turns up an issue, and whether it has ever advised a client not to apply. An agent that never declines a file is either very lucky or not looking closely.

Finally, ask how the firm keeps up with changes, such as the regional regulator's new standards, interview procedures and proposed presence rules, and how it will tell you if a change affects your application. In a programme that is changing as quickly as Grenada's has in 2025 and 2026, this matters as much as experience.

After you sign: staying in control

Keep copies of everything. Ask for a complete copy of the application as lodged, including all forms and supporting documents.

Get receipts. Request official receipts for government and due diligence fees, not only the agent's own invoice.

Read IMA correspondence. Ask for copies of letters and requests from the IMA rather than summaries.

Know the exit. If the relationship breaks down, find out how a file can be transferred to another licensed agent and what that costs.

Watch the post-approval steps. The agent's job is not finished at approval. Payment instructions, certificates of registration, the oath and passports all pass through the agent, so the quality of service in the final weeks matters as much as at the start.

Ask about later services. Passport renewals, adding a dependant later and compliance with any future presence rules may all require an agent. Find out whether the firm handles these and on what terms.

Comparing quotes fairly

Quotes from different advisers are rarely presented in the same way, which makes them hard to compare. One may quote a single "all-in" figure, another a professional fee plus government costs, a third a low headline fee with extras billed later. The only reliable method is to rebuild each quote in the same format: the investment itself, government fees, due diligence fees for each adult, passport and oath fees, the local agent's fee, any international adviser's fee, and third-party costs.

Once laid out this way, differences usually become clear. A cheap quote may exclude due diligence fees for adult dependants; an expensive one may include document collection, translation and interview coaching that you would otherwise pay for separately.

Price is not the only test. A firm that charges more but screens carefully, answers questions promptly and explains each stage may well be cheaper in the end than one that files quickly and leaves a request for information unanswered for weeks.

Frequently asked questions