Our Role

Our Role in Government

How Stanford Knight & Partners Helped Build Vanuatu’s Citizenship Programme

the founding story

In 2012, the Government of Vanuatu engaged Stanford Knight’s senior advisory team to help develop a citizenship by investment programme for the nation. Working directly with the Prime Minister’s office and the Citizenship Commission, our team contributed to the legislative framework that established the programme.

This was not a consulting engagement at arm’s length. Our team was present in Port Vila, working alongside government officials, contributing to policy design, due diligence frameworks, and operational structures.

The programme that exists today — the one that has issued thousands of citizenships and generated significant national revenue — is built on a foundation we helped create.

The designation

What “Government-Appointed Master Agent” Means

A Master Agent is not simply a licensed operator. It is a government-designated entity with specific responsibilities, access, and accountability.

It means:

  • Formal recognition by the Government of Vanuatu as an authorised programme partner.
  • Direct communication channels with the Citizenship Commission.
  • Government remuneration (not client-funded) — SKP is paid by the Vanuatu government.
  • Enhanced due diligence responsibilities — we are accountable for application quality.
  • Ongoing participation in programme development and policy discussions.

It does not mean:

  • Guaranteed approval for every application (due diligence still applies).
  • Ability to bypass legal requirements (we operate within the legislation we helped write).
  • Exclusive government access (other agents operate legally, though without our history).
Direct & ongoing

Our government relationships

Stanford Knight maintains direct, ongoing relationships with:

The Citizenship Commission of Vanuatu

The body responsible for processing and approving all citizenship applications

Senior government officials

Including the Chairman of the Citizenship Commission and senior advisers to the Prime Minister.

The legislative framework

Our team monitors and contributes to policy developments affecting the programme.

These relationships are not transactional. They are built on over a decade of collaboration, shared objectives, and mutual accountability.

Our credentials

Government- appointed.
Verified. Reproduced here in full.

Stanford Knight & Partners is formally licensed by the Citizenship Commission of Vanuatu as a Master Agent for the Development Support Programme (DSP) and the Capital Investment Immigration Programme (CIIP). Both certificates are reproduced below.

Verified credential

Master Agent — Development Support Programme

DSP

Master Agent — Development Support Programme

License Master Agent - DSP
Issuing authority Citizenship Commission of Vanuatu
Issued 14 March 2025
View Full Certificate
Verified credential

Master Agent - Capital Investment Immigration Programme

CIIP

Master Agent - Capital Investment Immigration Programme

License Master Agent — CIIP
Issuing authority Citizenship Commission of Vanuatu
Issued 13 March 2024
View Full Certificate

Licences are issued for a 5-year period and may be verified directly on the Vanuatu Government Citizenship Commission website. Most current version is listed here.”

For you

Why Government Partnership Matters for You

Speed

When government has a question about your application, our team answers it same-day. We do not wait for email chains across time zones.

Quality

Government trusts our preparation. Applications submitted by Stanford Knight are complete, correctly formatted, and thoroughly vetted — which contributes to faster processing.

Insight

We understand how government evaluates applications because we helped design the evaluation framework. We know what matters, what raises questions, and how to present complex backgrounds clearly.

Accountability

Government holds us to a higher standard than independent agents. We maintain that standard because our reputation — and our programme role — depends on it.