Civil registry records ‘upsurge’ in citizenship applications
The Civil Registry & Passport Office has recorded a spike in the number of applications for citizenship in the territory.
According to Registrar General Stephanie Benn, the “upsurge” began after the 2017 hurricanes.
The Registrar General did not specify the magnitude of the upsurge but made note of the increase during the naturalisation ceremony of 80 expatriate residents on Tuesday.
She said the “ceremony is the second unprecedented one for this month”. Just a week ago, a similar ceremony was held for 80 others.
Naturalisation is a process under the British Nationality Act of 1981 whereby persons can become citizens of the Virgin Islands, government officials have explained.
Naturalised citizens are eligible to obtain a Virgin Islands passport. They are also eligible to apply to become a United Kingdom citizen.
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Ayo please put a hold on this thing because we are being outnumbered 4 to 1…Bring back that policy what was proposed where after 7 years they have to go out the country and reapply
Amen
Are you employed? Because you have a lot of time on your hand. Sad little man, what ever that expat woman did to you, she messed with your head son. You have a hatred for your fellow Caribbean people like I have never seen. SMH. You’re, so pathetic, I can only laugh at you. Your head seems messed up, I can recommend a few persons you can see.
Why should the do such when most bvi citizen go to the US and Puerto to have kids and come back to the bvi and get dual citizenship. Most expats make kids in the bvi pay taxes NHI and social even and straight why deny them citizenship it’s unfair. Expat works and help bvi this bvi selfish thinking. This is there home as much as your after you spend most of your life here working and toiling for the bvi.
EXACTLY YOU FOOL. So ayo can come here get your baby PAY YOUR GAT D**N BILL and GO HOME so you can get dual citizenship too yuh BRIGHT self. If we let all ayo hard working expats to get status then what left for people of this soil?
If the people of the soil was not so damn lazy then there would not be no need for expatriates to be offered or given jobs. you all there so high and mighty that only certain job you all want to do. but the same expatriates doing the under dog jobs and cleaning up after you all backsides. If you guys were doing all the jobs then there wouldn’t be any left for a “non-son of the soil” to do.
This sounds like Trump’s nationalist rhetoric. Hate will never win. Siddung!
YOU HAVE A JOB? YOU KNOW WHO YOUR BIRTH PARENTS IS? Do you bathe at least twice a day? DO you use a regular toilet or a OUTHOUSE? Shut yuh mouth ENEMY OF THE STATE. GO watch that movie I know you to BRIGHT so it won’t go over your head.
I too am concerned about this…I have nothing against our brothers and sister that have made BVai their home but I am worried that we are already outnumbered and things will get worse. I am sure people would understand where I am coming from. Immigration on a whole is a thorny issue. It is not unreasonable for Indigenous BVIislanders to be concerned about this.
When bvi citizen stop going to the US and Puerto to make babies and become citizen and have dual citizenship talk about the expat most expats make children in the bvi why deny them. And the pay taxes NHI and social straight like any other. So unfair
Oh shut up! Bvislanders must go abroad to have their kids because the bvi don’t have any benefit, but ya’ll expats woman just like open ayo legs to the married tolian idiots to get child! shut up
Anonymous why everything here in the BVI bothers you. If you are not happy go home where everything is perfect. You all leave your homes and come and born your children here before doing so you should check the constitution. Not every country rules are the same. All you all want to come here and have the rules change to pander to you all. This is not your country. You don’t like the rules the leave because I am sick and tired of you all bullsh*t.
Youre just mad that not only are expats starting to outnumber locals but in many instances are doing better. No longer are they employed only in blue collar jobs, they also outnumber locals in white collar jobs too. That bothers you huh! It’s so bad now that married local women will s***w these same expats when they think they can can ahead. I went school here got a Government scholarship and have done very well for myself and still align with the expat community, because of prejudice ppl like you. FOH with you BS! This is no mans land and if you doubt me….give this place another 25 years. It became no mans land when your government began bowing to foreign investors due to the numerous bribes they received. Don’t blame expats blame your local politicians. Who vex go kick rocks!
Why you don’t go live someplace where your hate is thrown under a rock? It’s people like you who is keeping this place down. But the good thing is you are the minority.
Thank you! but the moment we BV Islanders open our mouth, all of them (expats) will jump on us, calling us down, when they have this place looking like a fish market.
Your a selfish selfless person
YOU wrote a comment exactly like this one but sorry to say you are already been outnumbered
And you all love that because your homes are nothing like the BVI. Why are you really here if all you can speak about negative things about the people and their country. Last time I read the other Caribbean countries and other places are not fearing any better. That’s why you talk so negatively about the BVI. Just plain old fashion jealousy.
Prior to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, perhaps there was something to be jealous about. What is there to be jealous about now, schools in tents, houses with no roofs two years later, no money to fix your roads, no money to put in proper drainage, private sector having to pay to fix infrastructure, a lot of the work was done by expats volunteering, corrupt government….please tell me what about these things should anyone be jealous of. Another country took your prisoners after the hurricane, granted it was remunerated but these things should not be taken lightly, the BVI does not exist in a vacuum. I thought that would have registered after 2017, but you people are too silly and arrogant to realise that.
Its all for the elections some of these people days after the hurricane left the country high and dry and now they are coming back.
Their countries sent planes for them like the island had broken out with a plague.
But we will continue to give away our privileges given to us by the UK and US all for the mighty dollar and votes.
Thats why its really a shame that our current premier is willing to do so in return for support from countries who cannot even get their economy going to provide jobs for their people.
He say he needs help to fight the UK policies that is over our heads. When you were campaigning you made we the people too believe you had the skills guts and knowledge to help our country without giving it away.
Our former leaders some of them were very rude to the UK and the only politician I heard distancing themselves from those rude comments were the former premier DR.Smith who might have been a poor leader but had enough sense to not fight losing battles.
The current minister of Natural Resources was quick to tell expats on VG to return home. So please get your information right before you spew such s**t. Moreover, most of the economies you are speaking about have economies that dwarf that of the BVI so I do not know what you are talking about. Prejudice have some of you speaking out of your a***s. If Theresa May could go to Africa dancing like a monkey to secure trade to remedy any Brexit trade deficit despite having the World’s 4th largest economy, who is the BVI to think it can survive in international society on its own. The premiere knows that support from the rest of the region will go a long way in the BVI’s fight to protect it financial services industry. To gain their support he has to appease them the best way he knows how. Let those of us who know how to do these things do it and stay in your lane.
You are living in a false world the support of these OECS countries who cant help themselves and who are looking to put some of their economic and social ills on the BVI cant help us.
I bet you they never discuss ways on cracking down on false police records from their countries.
Time will tell if the running of this country is over the current Premiers head. Those countries are already controlled by the IMF and have no support or strength to give except to make noise.
If it is that the UK feels we are naturalizing to many people who are invading their country in England which was one of the main reasons they came out of the European union then the Premier needs to address that.
That hair color does not do anything for you my dear
You and whoever agrees with your comment need to really mind your F***ING business. It is not your ignorant A** place to say anything….I can’t stress enough how important it is to get out of the backwards BVI once in a while to see and experience how the true world works and live.
I was told that only belongers could vote. it that information write??? please someone clarify it for me..
You should check spelling before you post your comment
Is that information write???
Should be is that information right???
just saying
I dont what is the rush to bestow citizenship .
Is anypne even checking to see how these people entered the territory in the first place or whether they overstayed.
And as for fighting the BRITISH GOVERMENT what for. Fahie is turning out to be no different and is self serving.
These people you are talking about have invested their life here. They did not run away after Irma. After receiving citizenship they will still have to work hard to maintain their families in an honest way. They will still have to be good citizens and contribute to make the BVI better.
I was Naturalised some 3years ago and went to register for this past elections they told me i cannot register nor vote when I asked why they informed me that i need to have Belongers status, I told them i had a BVI Passport and they still didn’t register me.
Now you see how the BVI works?
The BVI is a little basket compare to the US and Puerto Rico.. And yet still you all compare.
The BVI is a little basket compare to the US and Puerto Rico.. And yet still you all compare.
The children born in the USVI or Puerto Rico have a better advantage.
Children who born here by usvi and Puerto Rican and USA and Canada patents also have equal rights from where their parents are from. Similar thing in the Caribbean region. Stop spreading half truths
Some of u are so mean, selfish and xenophobic it’s not funny!
These people being naturalized are persons who have been living and contributing to this territory for 25, 30 plus years. Some are your nurses, your children’s teachers, your pastors etc and this is how you want to treat them. Shame. You are talking about being outnumbered as if changing their status will do the magic trick.
Some of u keep worrying about indigenous BVI landers being outnumbered but the time will come when it’s going to be hard to find an “indigenous” BVIlander unless u want to go back to the days when cousins were making children with cousins.
The whole world is becoming one big global village and those of us who fail to realize that are going to be left in the dark.
Premier Fahie, u r a leader with foresight. Keep making bold moves. Unity is strength.
When u make us feel appreciated,we will do our best to move this country forward. Treating us like unwanted pests only sows seeds of discord and hatred.
I am an expat who has worked tirelessly for 20 years in this country and I will continue to do so but I will be even more motivated when I get a little piece of paper saying I am a resident and for the naysayers, just for a minute stop and think how u would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. How would u feel if you were living and working in another Man’s country for 25,30 years without even a little piece of paper saying u r a resident?
We need look into our rehistry dept. Men are signing for children who arent theirs.the current situation withe j—— c– of bvi communication registered to kids by two diffrent female this year. The he claimed that he is not the father of the jamacan girl k——a,but he was just helping her out, hid it from his current family and its all over the bvi. Is our registry a business where we helpthese loose girls to get a passport to go out when immigration send them home.bad business. Bad business man.you should have told ur woman the truth because kesysa talking the business.
Please help our registry dept
… we are calling on ypu to take a look into the … baby who was born in september. Thos is not good for the bvi. This is a bad example of what pple are doing in the bvi. Dna results should be submitted at registry for some of thesed girls. Its evrn more funng when the young lady is unsure about the father of her child.
Young men need to be more honest to our partners.