Immigration laws should have been amended before COI — Premier
As his government moves to overhaul the territory’s immigration laws, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said amendments to the legislation should have been implemented earlier and not in response to external pressures.
While addressing the House of Assembly recently, Dr Wheatley emphasised that the changes were long overdue and should not have been delayed until the Commission of Inquiry (COI) findings were released.
“Of course, we speak about the COI. That’s, that’s an aspect of it. But really, I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we needed to amend this Act way before a COI,” the Premier said.
The Premier detailed the Immigration and Passport Amendment Bill 2024, which aims to modernise the immigration framework to better meet the territory’s current and future needs.
The bill proposes significant changes, including introducing more transparent processes for granting residency and Belonger status and establishing an immigration quota-setting process to ensure the system is fair, transparent, and efficiently managed.
“These changes reflect the need to ensure that applicants have a substantial and genuine connection to the territory,” Dr Wheatley said. The bill also aims to enhance the immigration appeals process, improving fairness and transparency within the system.
Amidst the legislative upgrades, there is also a special focus on integrating individuals born in the BVI to non-Belonger parents, ensuring they face fewer hurdles.
Dr Wheatley pointed out the necessity of this amendment. “Somebody start telling them the place that they were born, they have to leave from and go to some place, perhaps maybe where they’ve never been, [where] they don’t have any family support,” he said.
“We certainly cannot be so callous that persons who are born here – and even if they were not born here in some instances, persons who come here as a very small child – that you just send them off someplace not knowing how they will survive,” he told lawmakers.
The Premier’s speech also touched on the historical context and the evolving demographic landscape of the BVI, emphasising the role of immigration in shaping the economic and cultural fabric of the islands.
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The Immigration and Passport Act of 1977 was fine. Unfortunately this 1977 law was ignored by the politicians and the Immigration Department so it was a failure for nearly 50 years. This 1977 law is being ‘amended’ solely because of the CoI AND will no longer be ignored since the UK does not trust any government officials to follow the law hence the numerous ‘breach of trust’ criminal indictments of BVI government personnel.
FYI: Breach of Trust indictment = End of civil service career.
All sounds very reasonable. What’s the catch?
my question is what about the women that come here pregnant just to have their babies .would those babies get residency at birth ??don’t you think this island is to small to allow such??so a woman comes her for four months or six months have her baby the baby get residency at birth and shortly after the mother leaves with her baby but 18 yrs later and adult shows up showing I was born here.can the country deals with hundreds of cases like this?? it has happen here before that people come here just to have babies. what I think is that many independent Caribbean Islands people are bent on seeing this country fall to the ground and unless we’re not the same in every aspect of life they would not stop.this is the only country that I know of that don’t have laws to protect the rights of its original or indigenous people. to the expatriates- which one of your fore parents fought for the rights and privileges that the bvi enjoy today??
it so funny you say that when the same BVI people go to the states, st. Thomas and Puerto Rico to have anchor babies. If you dont want it happen here then dont go other countries and do it simple.
Ain’t that the same thing BVI women do? Go to US of A and have them babies? Only difference is y’all take the people passport in a week whilst a child barn hay have to wait until 18 and even then it ain’t guarantee them getting it. Struuuuups ayo too much with this now
Back in the day, they use to send home those women to birth their children. For those who are comparing us to the US. the US have laws that benefits them and their capacity. We must do the same. If you want to birth your child in the US, by all means do so if you can. But we here in the BVI have to figure out how to prevent or minimze the abuse of this legislation.
Did the States, Puerto Rico, and St. Thomas fall to the ground?
Give me a break. People don’t come here to do that because it has not benefited them to do so in any way. As a matter of fact expats go away to have their children just to avoid the red tape and the issues resulting from having babies here who end up technically being stateless. Wheel and come again!
@choops… no child is “technically” stateless in the virgin Islands. Where you get that reasoning and information from?
We dont want no more anchor babies
Agreed. So you better stop going St. Thomas and PR to birth yours!
Do you think they know of the date 1929 and its significance tody? Nope.
Where there is no vision the people perish.
Yes, if many laws had been adhered to there would be no COI. And still are not be adhered to!
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley
As his government moves to overhaul the territory’s immigration laws, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said amendments to the legislation should have been implemented earlier and not in response to external pressures.
I recall Guy Hill telling former Ministers of Immigration to review and amend the immigration and passport Act more than 25 years ago to address fairness, they did nothing. Reap what you sew.
People will be surprised at how many of the BVI “elite” were born in Antigua, St Kitts etc but would NEVER admit it!They prefer to benefit from the “born here” perks and get by on family name
Bvi People too lazy you all cannot even Build you all own country why don’t you send all you foriegn bussinesses all dying on foriegner has agotado to do with where all of you all are today I want all to leave you all country for all you