According to the country's prime minister and finance minister, the non-refundable contribution will be paid to the national sovereign wealth fund and used in the country's 2018 budget.

Applicants' dependents are also eligible for citizenship with an additional cost of $100,000 per family member.

Another tempting scheme will offer Mauritian passports in exchange for $500,000 paid to the Mauritius Sovereign Fund, and $50,000 per passport for family members.

All these move have been condemned by opposition leaders. Leader of the populist Rezistans ek Alternativ party, Ashok Subron, said, "The notion of nationality of a country is not a product. It has no price and is in no way a commodity."