Labour Department cracking down on illegal workers
The Labour and Workforce Development Department has announced it is stepping up efforts to tackle illegal employment in the Virgin Islands, with employers facing fines of up to $5,000 for hiring workers without proper authorisation.
Acting Labour Commissioner Mervin Hastings issued the warning during a recent job fair in the Third District. He stressed that both workers and employers will now be held accountable under updated immigration rules.
“We have a major problem in the Virgin Islands when it comes to — we all know this — a lot of illegal workers. We have a lot of people that come on vacation and they end up working for a month or two. We have people that come and they overstay their time and they’re working,” Hastings stated.
Hastings explained that although the department does not yet have a dedicated labour protection unit, inspections will be carried out.
“We’re going to be out doing some inspections. So we’re giving you a warning here today, that if you have any illegal workers that you know that are working illegally, make them legal. Have them leave the territory, put in a work permit for them, register them in the system, and get them legally employed with yourself,” he urged.
He noted that in the past, penalties were only applied to employees found working illegally. However, changes made last year allow for compound fines.
“Luckily, now, they can give a $5,000 fine to both the employee and the employer, a compound fine. So both the employer and the employee can be punished with a fine right now, which is good. Because before, only the employee was getting punished, and that was not fair,” Hastings explained.
The Acting Commissioner also outlined the department’s employment priority scale, which places Virgin Islanders and Belongers at the top. “My minister, the premier, he’s the minister responsible for labour right now. He’s given us a mandate. He said he wants the Labour Department to do one thing. He wants to employ Virgin Islanders and Belongers. If we can’t find a post for that, we’re going to go to residents,” Hastings stated.
He added that local expatriates should be considered before new workers are brought in. “If you’re an expat living in the Virgin Islands, we would prefer to hire someone living and residing here rather than bringing a new person in,” he explained.
The announcement comes amid longstanding concerns about illegal labour in the BVI. Reports in recent years highlighted the challenges of enforcement due to limited resources and loopholes that allowed tourists and overstayers to find work in the territory.
The Labour Department’s move signals a renewed push to regulate the workforce and ensure compliance with immigration and labour laws.
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Willock you large your job fair making the news
Will the day soon come when our Labour Commissioner will say and be proud to do so to employers, hire the college students and our young graduates and give them a start in the working world? Too many young people are not working.
Mr. Labour Commissioner, we have an unemployment issue in our country, this country with so many, many jobs that persons from over 100 countries are here and working. Who in your office on a daily basis reviews resumes uploaded to your new labour management system to ascertain locals that are searching for work and jobless? It is quite okay to hire from without, but also important to hire from within. Why is it that everywhere we look persons from Asia are beating out those from within? No prejudice in my mind towards anyone, but we are creating an issue in our community with unemployed youths, especially young men that will come back to bite us in the behind.
If I was a young graduate looking work in the VI, I would be terrified. My poor country.
People blaming illegals for there HS kids that sit on the corner never willing to ask for a job. I heard that like 90% of the female locals are employed while like only 30% of the males it can’t be because of the illegals. People scared of hard work and want an easy life rather than doing construction in the hot sun. The only people to blame are the people unwilling to work.
Good luck with that, not when the local business owner is using them for cheap to slave under paid labor.
Ever consider the minimum wage is a total insult to having being a HS graduate more so, a DH. It is not that crap about youths being lazy, it is like “SLAVERY” to go work for pittance under harsh conditions and for demanding and demeaning People.
How is it, that the Labour Department has no clue as to the illegals working in the country?
To me it’s an easy solve:
Illegals tend to go to agencies that send monies away globally. Have these agencies report to the Immigration Department monthly of the sendees names
Illegals tend to need a place to live. Have the landlords send monthly reports of old and new renters living in their apartments
Illegals may have bank accounts. Have the Banks send names of new depositors, to the Immigration Department
Illegals tend to rent vehicles instead of ownership. Have rental car agencies report names of monthly renters to the Immigration Department
Henceforth, new car dealership sales. A monthly breakdown should also be sent to the Immigration Department
And lastly, have the airport, and ferry companies send a monthly list of all who has traveled to the country within the last month
THIS, is only a snippet of what officials can do, but if implemented, can begin to curb, the infestation of Illegals residing here!
It is time they get off their butts in the offices and do leg work. So many strange persons catching ride in places a regular person won’t. Drive around the island and see what I see.
You’re so correct “@Ausar”!
I would also implore the cell phone companies, to send monthly lists of all cell users to the Immigration officials!
Illegals always need a cell phone!
That’s a great catch there, if implemented!
You are asking a third party company to work with a government funded company to track people as if they’re dogs. That makes perfect sense talk about slavery.
Even if you tell them. They nah move
Check some of these firms that don’t advertise positions. So many young, hard working professional treated like garbage. Too many work permit exemptions, corrupt officers taking bribes and systemic disenfranchisement of locals. They act like they own the place. They intimidate and bully local people in the workplace. It is only those who are not afraid or come from prominent families that escape from the unchecked evil in the workplace. Get rid of these exemptions, they use them to keep their foot on local people.
They eating all we mullet from the guts…hmmmm
* from o****** is the one who is bringing them in the 10 and 15. * don’t want to hire locals. Every position in his office are taken up by philipinos. All overtime if you are not a Asian you not getting none. They are working for hefty hourly wage why other are working for minimum. The government are the one who is approving all these work permit. Why complain now? You all are issuing all these Asian permits and now talking. * is hiring people by just holding their permits and they work elsewhere. * paid for all these Asian to come here and they have to work to payback mark. As soon as they finish, they go for another job and get it just like that. It’s as if these jobs are already lined up for them. They are flooding r** now too. In the finance department all the head position at *are being held by Philippinos and thats because an asian man call d* is hiring them. Yet the government yet the government are complaining about their people when they are the one to blame for issuing these permits
Will this be enforced? I see man on work permit doing contarctpr work without license. Man just come doing better than we own.one company sponser a man and he work all over like a belonged and nothing been done. I report one and the ministe nit even look into it