Belongership, residency applications double post-COI
The Immigration Department saw an influx of applications for Belongership and residency, following the release of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) report in 2022.
Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Nadia Demming-Hodge told lawmakers recently that applications for status in the territory rose by over one hundred per cent after it was made clear in the report that the government had been enforcing an illegal policy.
Demming-Hodge said that influx lasted until about February last year before finally tapering down.
The previous government policy prevented persons from applying for such status until they met a 20-year benchmark, however, the law states that residents who had spent 10 years or over in the territory were eligible to apply for Belongership.
However, she disclosed that many applicants had to be turned away and asked to reapply after they attempted to apply for Belongership status without first applying for the required residency status.
When questioned about which nationality submitted the highest number of applications, Demming-Hodge advised that the requested information was not readily available and said it would have to be collated separately.
In the meantime, Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn commended the Immigration Department for its responsiveness under the current leadership. He told officials that his district office is often flooded by immigration concerns given the make-up of the district.
Walwyn said the department has been extremely helpful and responsive to the problems he raised on behalf of his constituents.
Commenting on the previous unlawful immigration policy, Walwyn said he was not in agreement and explained that if the law says something is 10 years, you can’t come up with a policy saying it is 20 years.
He stated that if you want the law to be changed, you change the law.
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It is simple, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that, just amend the legislation, you cant replace laws with policies.
Bull sheet
Ayo stop giving away the country because we are already outnumbered
It’s time to discontinue issuing work permits to established groups of workers. It is long past time. There needs to be a break.
They only respond to him. My daughter waiting 3 years now without even an acknowledgement of the receipt of her application.
That is one of the Recommendations our Government is afraid to touch. Tough Decision But gotta be done.
Just Find a middle Ground and Do It.
10 years is too much of a small window, amend the law and put it to 18 years.
60% of the workforce is done by someone who immigrated here. If there are no plans of letting those hard working individuals receive a Belongers status might be a nice gesture to inform them of such. The only time I see anyone receive Belongers is through marriage. But with a population that is very likely to move to the states it would make sense to approve people who have been a resident for a long time.
Of course there will be an influx. That’s 20 years worth of applicants who were wrongfully not allowed to apply all applying at the same time. My 12 year old could tell you this would happen. So the number to date would likely be the same if the law was being followed but would have been spread out over a period of time instead of all coming in together.
Nonesence