Sure they can, Christine. My parents did that and built their home in Anguilla. They've been living there 3 years now and will never return to cold, over-taxed Canada.
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As a "non-belonger" (term for foreigner that is used by several Caribbean islands), you cannot buy land on sandy beach for a residence. That is for tourist developments only. But you can buy land anywhere else.
There is one more thing you should know...
Anguilla has no income tax. It gets its income from import duties and government fees. There is a 12.5% Stamp Duty (to get your Alien Land Holding License). And there is a Transfer Tax of 5%.
Aside from that, property tax is very low.
Anguilla is truly a wonderful place to live. And now is the best time to buy. Land has dropped by at least 50%. Prior to 2008, it was hard to even find a piece of land on the ocean. Now it's a buyer's market.
Hope this helps, Christine. And I hope to see you as a neighbor some day.
Warm regards,
Nori Evoy
