Pacific

Vanuatu citizenship sales continue

18:20 pm on 23 May 2014

The Vanuatu opposition says 50 more Chinese nationals are due to arrive in Vanuatu soon under the government's Capital Investment Immigration Plan.

Under the Plan, foreigners can buy Vanuatu citizenship and reports say so far 20 Chinese have arrived after paying 270,000 US dollars each.

Moana Carcasses, who was voted out as prime minister last week, has praised the programme as a good revenue earner for the government.

However, the new administration has said it will review the plan.

The Chinese embassy in Vanuatu has asked the government in Port Vila to provide the names and passport numbers of Chinese citizens once they have been granted citizenship.

China doesn't recognise dual citizenship and Chinese people who have obtained Vanuatu citizenship will automatically lose their Chinese citizenship.