Sierra Leone’s GO-FOR-GOLD citizenship program has announced substantial changes following a six-month pilot that naturalized 13 families, according to an update from the program’s Master Agent, Hong Kong Visa Centre Limited and TG 2050 LTD.

The changes introduce what the Master Agent describes as the investment migration industry’s most inclusive family structure, allowing applicants to include extended relatives and business partners in a single application

Applicants can now include multiple spouses, siblings under 30, spouses of siblings, adult children, and even last remaining relatives to their citizenship applications under a new “Special Dependants” category, the Master Agent’s announcement reveals.

A separate “+1 Business Partner” pathway lets co-investors join applications without proving any prior business relationship. Business partners cannot add any of their dependents to the application.

Program architect Stephen Barnes says these additions represent a departure from the nuclear family model that dominates most citizenship by investment programs, accommodating what he describes as the extended family structures common in the global South and other regions.

Fee Structure:

• Main Applicant: $140,000
• Normal Dependents (spouses, children under 18, parents, grandparents): $10,000 each
• Special Dependants (adult children, siblings under 30, spouses of siblings, last remaining relatives): $20,000 each
• +1 Business Partner: $30,000
• Alternative structure: Two business partners at $85,000 each

Due Diligence Fees:

• Families of up to five people: $5,000
• Families of six to 10: $10,000
• Each additional person beyond 10: $900

Jeremy Savory, CEO at Savory & Partners, notes that the pricing structure creates new market opportunities. He argues that “Sierra Leone’s new dependent criteria brings the cost down to five figures per applicant, and there’s a market for that.”

Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, Chief Immigration Officer, confirmed the program operates under Section 27A of the Sierra Leone Citizenship Act 1973, which grants the President discretionary authority to confer citizenship.

According to Dr. Baio, the framework “remains the operative legal basis for all current grants of citizenship” and “ensures that every approval today is fully compliant within the scope of existing law.”

The government memo describes the initiative as operating under a “Citizenship by Exception” framework pending statutory amendments that will formalize the Special Naturalization pathway.

Practical Application Scenarios

The update explains that the fee structure accommodates complex family arrangements common across different cultures. Two examples illustrate the flexibility:

Multi-generational family: A main applicant with two spouses, two minor children, one adult child, one last remaining relative, and one business partner would pay:

• Main applicant: $140,000
• Two spouses: $20,000
• Two minor children: $20,000
• One adult child: $20,000
• One last remaining relative: $20,000
• One business partner: $30,000
• Due diligence (eight people): $10,000
• Total: $260,000

Sibling Group Application: A main applicant with three siblings, each married with one child, would pay:

• Main applicant: $140,000
• Three siblings: $60,000
• Three siblings’ spouses: $60,000
• Three siblings’ children: $60,000
• Due diligence (10 people): $10,000
• Total: $330,000

According to the announcement, every approved applicant receives an incorporated Sierra Leone company and corporate bank account with either Sierra Leone Commercial Bank or Access Bank. Both activate immediately upon receiving a Letter of Approval from the Chief Immigration Officer, creating what Barnes calls “an immediate economic footprint” for new citizens.

Barnes states say Harod Associates Ltd, a UK-based investigative firm, now performs due diligence. The update cites the firm’s completion of over 2,000 citizenship by investment (CBI) cases across 100-plus countries, a 15% high-risk detection rate, and Investment Migration Council (IMC)-accredited investigators.

Processing Timeline:

• Due diligence clearance: Approximately two weeks
• Letter of Approval: 30 to 60 days
• Passport and naturalization certificate: 60 to 90 days

Barnes revealed that applications move entirely online through an AI-powered portal that handles document certification, oath administration, and case management via Zoom. According to the update, the President signs naturalization certificates in batches.

He positions the expanded structure as culturally necessary for attracting investment from regions where nuclear families don’t dominate. According to Barnes, “the Global South seeks access to Africa through frameworks that are safe, inclusive, and culturally aligned” because “the extended family, the clan, is recognized as a source of strength, stability, and enterprise.”

He frames the policy as economically strategic rather than merely transactional. He argues Sierra Leone is “creating the social foundation for sustained inward investment” by targeting 4,000 families for Special Naturalization over five years as part of President Bio’s goal to achieve middle-income status by 2039.

Savory sees the program within a broader continental shift. He describes the continent as “transforming from primarily a source market into a growing immigration destination,” noting that Africa now offers three CBI programs with Botswana expected to launch a fourth.

He observes that “after the Caribbean price war, we now have an African price war targeting a different price segment,” adding that “the ball is in Botswana’s court.”

He believes market appetite exists for citizenship by exception (CBE) and CBI frameworks, pointing to “strong demand for São Tomé since its launch” and notes “the market is warming to CBE options.”

He characterizes these programs as having “the inherent Africa risk priced into the product, making them attractive to investors who understand and accept that risk profile.”

Rafael Cintron, CEO at Wealthy Expat, expects the model to influence other jurisdictions. He believes “this structure will incentivize other countries to adopt similar frameworks, allowing business partners and even employees to be included in applications.”

He anticipates additional African countries will launch programs, citing Namibia, Eswatini, and Kenya as potential entrants. Cintron expresses optimism about “Africa’s investment migration future,” particularly if Mauritius introduces “a golden visa with low physical presence requirements.”

The update states all funds will sit in escrow until due diligence clears and approval letters are issued. It also states that applicants can offset program fees through gold bullion purchases of up to 20 kilograms over five years at a 2% discount to market rates, reinforcing what the Barnes describes as the gold-backed foundation of the initiative.

IMI has not independently verified these updates with official Sierra Leone government sources and is reporting based on information provided by the program’s Master Agent.

The claims and program details outlined above reflect the Master Agent’s representations and have not been confirmed through official government documentation at the time of publication.

Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

The Sierra Leone direct citizenship program is a fast-track route to citizenship, offering foreign investors the opportunity to acquire Sierra Leonean citizenship within 60 to 90 days.

The program, which has two investment pathways starting at US$100,000, offers additional benefits like discounted gold bullion purchases (up to 20kg over five years) and eliminates lengthy residency requirements.

Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

How to Qualify

To qualify for the Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment Program, all applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Submit passport copies
• Provide digital photographs
• Include marriage and birth certificates (for family applications)
• Submit a DNA test report (for Heritage Naturalization applicants)
• Undergo due diligence checks

Donation Pathways

The program offers two distinct pathways to citizenship:

Fast Track Naturalization

• • Grants citizenship within 90 days
  • Total donation of US$140,000, which includes all program fees, legal costs, due diligence, and documentation

Heritage Naturalization

• • Grants citizenship within 60 days for individuals with African ancestry
  • Total donation of US$100,000, with a DNA test required for proof of ancestry

Additionally, applicants can include qualifying family members for an extra fee of US$10,000 per dependent. Eligible dependents include:

• Dependent children below 18
• Spouse (and legal second spouse)
• Dependent parents of any age

Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

Salient Benefits

• Low taxes
• Mild climate
• English official language
• No physical presence requirement
• Low cost of living
• Short processing time

Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

Citizenship Timeline and Requirements

Applicants are awarded Sierra Leone citizenship immediately upon approval.

Browse 195 countries’ paths to citizenship in the hyper-detailed IMI Citizenship Catalog.

Sierra Leone Citizenship by Investment

Program Authority and Legal Basis

Applications for this program may be directed to The GO-FOR-GOLD Program.

Legislation upon which this program is based is Non-Citizenship (Registration, Immigration and Expulsion) Act 1965.

A month after launching its GO-FOR-GOLD (GFG) Permanent Residency Program, Sierra Leone has introduced fast-track citizenship routes within the same framework. These new pathways give GFG investors direct paths to citizenship in as little as 60 days.

The new program offers a notable alternative to Sierra Leone’s traditional naturalization process, which requires applicants to reside in the country for eight years and demonstrate local integration.

In an official statement introducing the measures, Sierra Leone’s Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh outlined the Immigration Department’s goal of “emulating smaller nations that have successfully harnessed their national institutions, natural resources, and human talent to achieve modernization and growth” through “significant innovations and system improvements to align with global best practices.”

He says these “new pathways to citizenship are designed to unlock that wealth for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.”

Stephen Barnes, co-founder of the Hong Kong Visa Centre and main architect of the GO-FOR-GOLD program, reiterates the same sentiment, saying that the fast-track option “considerably expands Sierra Leone’s immigration framework.”

He says the government plans to attract international investors “who want to actively contribute to the country’s growth while benefiting from a clear and efficient path to citizenship.”

The government refers to these new pathways as “facilitated naturalization” for foreigners, but in practice, they function as direct citizenship routes in all but name. Authorities will legally grant citizenship to investors via a “revamped naturalization process,“ says Barnes.

Key features of Sierra Leone’s new fast-track option

The GFG citizenship route provides two main pathways:

• Fast Track Naturalization: Grants citizenship within 90 days for a total investment package of $140,000, which includes all program fees, legal costs, due diligence, and documentation.
• Heritage Naturalization: Grants citizenship within 60 days to individuals with African ancestry for a total investment of $100,000. Applicants submit a DNA test report as part of their application.

Both pathways let applicants include qualifying family members for an additional fee of $10,000 per dependent. Eligible family members are:

• Dependent children below 18
• Spouse (and legal second spouse)
• Dependent parents of any age

Investors can apply for the GFG citizenship route directly without getting permanent residency (PR). Those who opt to obtain PR and not citizenship in their application will have a chance to apply for naturalization under the framework in the future, but the government is still working on that process for now.

Gold discounts and the GFG club

Participants in the program qualify to join the GFG Club, which “offers personalized travel and concierge support, assistance with business incorporations, tax residency, in-country banking, and early access to investment opportunities,” according to Barnes.

GFG Club membership allows participants to purchase gold bullion mined in Sierra Leone at a 2% discount to market rates (up to 20kg over five years). The program directs 100% of gold purchases to small-scale miners in a bid to empower the country’s mining sector.

Sierra Leone passport overview

As a member of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), Sierra Leonean citizenship grants visa-free travel to a total of 66 destinations in Africa and Asia and residency privileges in 15 West African nations

Barnes views the launch of the fast-track route as a potentially significant step in Sierra Leone’s economic reform journey.

He says this program “isn’t just about granting citizenship” but also creating a framework that “actively supports Sierra Leone’s economic development goals.”

He explains that the program will fund “critical projects” for sustainable economic growth.

Sierra Leone’s GO-FOR-GOLD citizenship program has announced substantial changes following a six-month pilot that naturalized 13 families, according to an update from the program’s Master Agent, Hong Kong Visa Centre Limited and TG 2050 LTD.

The changes introduce what the Master Agent describes as the investment migration industry’s most inclusive family structure, allowing applicants to include extended relatives and business partners in a single application

Applicants can now include multiple spouses, siblings under 30, spouses of siblings, adult children, and even last remaining relatives to their citizenship applications under a new “Special Dependants” category, the Master Agent’s announcement reveals.

A separate “+1 Business Partner” pathway lets co-investors join applications without proving any prior business relationship. Business partners cannot add any of their dependents to the application.

Program architect Stephen Barnes says these additions represent a departure from the nuclear family model that dominates most citizenship by investment programs, accommodating what he describes as the extended family structures common in the global South and other regions.