Prime Minister David Thompson also reiterated his government's commitment to the regional integration process

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC - The David Thompson administration, reiterating its commitment to the regional integration process, Tuesday announced a six-month amnesty for nationals of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries who have been living in Barbados illegally.

 

Prime Minister Thompson, who made the announcement in Parliament, said the amnesty came out of a recommendation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Immigration that was established to develop a new and comprehensive Immigration policy for Barbados.

 

“With effect from 1st June 2009, all undocumented CARICOM nationals who entered Barbados prior to the 31st December, 2005 and remained undocumented for a period of eight years or more, are required to come forward and have their status regularised,” he said.

 

However the Prime Minister, who is also the minister with responsibility for Immigration, acknowledged that “current levels are unacceptably high, increasingly difficult to control and pose potentially negative socio-economic challenges for the country.

 

“While it cannot be denied that some of these persons have made and continue to make a contribution to the development of Barbados…the problem of illegal immigration can no longer be ignored,” Thompson said.

 

To benefit from the amnesty, CARICOM nationals must submit an application to the Immigration Department before December 1, 2009 and satisfy a number of requirements.

 

“The applicant must be able to sustain his/her claim that he/she has been residing in Barbados for at least eight years immediately prior to 31 December, 2005, that is, before January 1, 1998,” the Prime Minister said, adding that applicants must be currently employed and must provide evidence of their employment status.

 

He added that applicants will also have to pass through a security background check and advised that “applicants with three or more dependents will not automatically qualify for status” and that “each case will be considered on its individual merit”.

 

Thompson also warned that after the qualifying period expires, “those CARICOM nationals without lawful permission to remain in the island will be removed”.

 

The Prime Minister also reiterated his government’s commitment to the regional integration process and “in particular to Article 45 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas which provides for the movement of skilled CARICOM nationals within the CARICOM Single Market.

 

“These rights are enshrined in the Caribbean Community (Movement of Skilled Nationals) Act which was passed by Parliament in 2004,” he added.

 

However, Thompson said it was his view that “leaders in this region must work together to find solutions to the many vexing problems existing in our individual societies”.

 

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