BVI should lift visa restriction for all Caribbean nationals
Amid the announcement that the BVI will soon lift the visa restriction for Guyanese, one talk show host has posited that the territory should lift the visa requirements in place for the remaining Caribbean countries.
Dameon Percival, one of the hosts of the Morning Braff radio show on Tola Radio, said nationals from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica should be allowed to travel to the BVI visa-free as well. He said this only makes sense since we are all Caribbean neighbours.
“I don’t agree that people from the Philippines and that side of the world shouldn’t have visas because we’re not familiar with that side of the world and we see a lot of things going on in those countries. But people from the Caribbean who have family here, who are closer to us, who we can relate to, we shouldn’t have visa restrictions for these people,” Percival stated in a discussion with co-host Cindy Rosan.
Rosan explained that the visa requirement is just an added layer of security for the BVI, adding that there were some viable reasons the BVI started requiring visas from some countries.
As an example, Rosan pointed out that Jamaicans were able to travel to the BVI without visas for many years until some Jamaicans started committing violent crimes in the territory.
“We don’t know why certain things are done but I know it’s for a layer of protection and maybe they are just to control how many people come into the territory from certain countries,” Rosan offered as a possible explanation.
However, Percival said he believes background checks and criminal records should be enough to verify the character of Caribbean nationals seeking to enter the BVI. He added that the visa requirement is particularly unfair for Caribbean nationals who have been living and working in the BVI for years, as they have to renew the travel document yearly.
“They have to have this visa renewed every year. How can it be for security purposes if the people are already living here,” Percival posited.
Visa requirements in the BVI have always been a hot topic, especially since expats make up such a large part of the territory’s workforce. There are many who believe that certain nationalities who are contributing to the BVI’s development should be allowed to travel with visas. However, others agree with the visa restrictions as they think it is an added layer of security for the community.
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We already letting in anybody from the Caribbean to come here to live and work anyway so might as well.
Did he get his house back or is he still begging the public for more money?
I think what is more effective than visa requirements is solid verification of a “official” documents such as police records that are presented to local authorities as being legitimately issued by the foreign country. What checks are being undertaken to ensure they are not fakes? That is where the energy should be focussed visa requirement or not.
Is he just as stupid as he look?
Maybe if he was not victimized and put out of the job he had; and perhaps if he was given some of the tax dollars that went to family members, spouses, and friends he would have been good. Take several seats
There should be visa restrictions for Guyanese, Jamaican and St. Vincent nationals. The ones venturing out cannot take care of themselves and become a burden this society is not ready to handle. When BVIslanders migrated to the US Virgin Islands, they did not go looking for hand outs, they went and built it up. There’s a whole area called Tortola Town, with large home built by people from Tortola. We need people to add value.
AYO WANT TO FLOOD HERE WID ISLAND PEOPLE
Percival needs to understand there is a reason why the BVI is an “associate member” of CARICOM!
Boy, get lost
Look like you rather them flood here with Asians
Big grown man cannot even keep a roof over his head,living on handout and beggjng. No shame,, class ,a poor example for yyouths, young Black men and the ton load of othe imported updeislun dregs with tektek gimme mentality.
The other countries you mentioned, a lot more negative things are happening in those.
Check who is being deported from the US, UK and Canada. Jamaicans, GUYANESE, Venezuelans (we need to place visa restictions on these too).
You’re all in the same shoe and the same boat. Same food, same house design, and smelly drain all over.
Check your stats and your info. Caribbean people are the most fun loving, happy people who spend a lot to enjoy themselves. When they come here they coming with money to spend..That’s for sure.
Big grown man cannot even keep a roof over his head,living on handout and begging. No shame,, class ,a poor example for youths, young Black men and the ton load of other imported updeislun dregs with tektek gimme mentality.
With the excessive amount of natural resources they have, they choose to kill each other live poorly,practice colorism and racism, then head for the VI ,a dryweather place with little natural resource, only the character of its people which has sustained. They, the Guianese and other parasites slither in, assume occupancy and fill up the prison diminish the quality of life and all else in the VI…. necessitating an additional hundreds of foreign police and UK force to occupy lil BVI in an attempt a stop the cultural pastime of human slaughtering thiefing.
the flood gates that are already opened to wide and a whole host of issues will begin to arise.
Among them, the complete and total annihilation of the character, integrity, substance and cultural orientations of the society.
Further, a total and complete break down of and exchange of moral, ethical and other human values. More, the complete loss of respect for the local genre, its culture and people.
Last, not the only losses to be gained, ethical norms, moral principles, devolution of the dignity of the people and unequal treatment by powers of historic oppression of a people.
We are already and have been for decades living under unequal treatment relative to the law. That unequal application of the law began in the days of our bondage and has continued to this day in a so-called modern form known as policing.
The brutality of the slave industry without consequences of the law against humanity treated less than an animal. Where one group of humanity thrived and the other suffered indescribable.
Those are the kinds of doors that could be opened back up down the road of time. Actions have consequences. Hence, we must thread wisely relative to the types of legislation we enact, before giving deep thoughts to their long-term implications for the people/generations we will leave behind.
There are a whole slew of disadvantages that an open visa policy will bring to a small and vulnerable economy, society and people. Therefore, wise and protective measure must be the approach of the day.
I disagree with Mr. Percival 100%. Good thing nobody don’t care what he think. Is the island people dem help him save his house or wha?
Asians ,adults and children here are proven to be non destructive in everyway.
Unlike others whose every step has left a destructive trail in every aspect of life in these VI.
Neither have I seen or heard them begging.
They are not problematic workers,tenants,neighbors,motorists.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
I am puzzled as to why you would, instead, want and welcome a proven detriment.
I hesitate to accept the reasoning that Blacks are self destructive ,a result of self hatred.
Both my parents roots of these great islands go back to bondage and beyond. Therefore, i am an authentic VIslander with African roots.
However, relatives of both my parents went South to make a living.
One of my great, great aunts was buried in Santo Domingo recently. There still have a huge cousins family living there. There are many roots from the BVI living all through that part of the diaspora, from Caririacou to PR.
Hence, i would advocate for visa considerations for those kinds of people.
But some of what are here, coming, and will continue to are quite troubling. Was robbed of everything by one so i know.
Sadly, similar to the Eastern Caribbean, the good quality folk are the ones that come in as professionals in various fields. On the other hand, it seems as though that the majority of the ones that are migrating here for a better life are of the lowest class from their respective countries….
And then there are an area in Richmond hill called little Guyana and a roadway in NY officially called little Guyana.
OK
Rsearch the crime rate in Little Guiana, NY,,gruesome murders there is as popular ( mainly decapitation of spouses )as the rotis and the Caribbean restaurants. Nothing to be proud of..,Unlike Tolians whose bras branded “Tortola Hill” in the USVI consists of land which Tolians purchased and homes
they built… a relatively crime free area. Proud and comfy. No immigration Officers cruising and deporting pitiful tearful humanity.
What systems does the Immigration department have on place to track dates when a visitor have overstayed their time in the Territory? NONE
What systems does the Immigration have in place to find these persons who have overstayed their time?
NONE
Not saying if they get a visa they won’t overstay and probably get a job illegally (no work permit)But at least obtaining a visa requires certain background checks be made.
Better he asked, than turning to crime.