In most cases when acquiring a visa to move into the United States you must verify your proof of income. Russians going through Grenada for the E2 visa wouldn’t have to do as much verifying. Which leaves the door open to Russians who acquired their wealth through illegal activities.

“We shouldn’t be saying, ‘Sure, the moral imperative is we want to help these people flee Russia, but we’re only going to do it if you can invest,'” stated Gary Kalman, the executive director of Transparency International, an organization focused on illicit finance. “That’s not a humanitarian policy. That’s a policy that’s inviting in some of the wealthiest in Russia, many of whom may have gotten their money through ill-gotten gains.”

Kalman expressed that Russians with that kind of wealth who can afford a “shortcut” could most likely be oligarchs who gained their money via “sweetheart deals.” And that it could be “highly problematic” for immigrants to be able to buy their citizenship in the United States.”

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