Make it harder for foreign workers to become Belongers?
The government has been advised to implement measures to make it more difficult for work permit holders to be eligible for residency and Belongership status.
The advice was given in a recent report spearheaded by former permanent secretary Kedric Malone, who was commissioned to review the BVI’s processes for granting residency and Belongership.
In the report, Malone says the current residency and Belongership system makes it easy for work permit holders to be eligible for citizenship once they’ve lived in the BVI for 10 years.
But he says making every work permit holder eligible for Belongership based on time spent has led to population growth that negatively impacts the local labour force and does not supply the skills that are in demand.
To address the issue, Malone says work permit holders should not be eligible for Belongership simply based on time spent in the territory. And he said work permits should be limited to a period under 10 years to ensure these persons don’t easily become eligible for Belongership after working here for a decade.
Work permit holders should still get shot at citizenship
Although Malone says it shouldn’t be easy for every work permit holder to be eligible for Belongership, he calls on the government to establish a clear and separate pathway for work permit holders to become citizens.
He proposes two separate pathways to citizenship — the regular residency/Belongership pathway and a separate one for work permit holders who are deemed fit to attain status in the territory.
“By separating the work permit process from that of Residency and Belongership, it becomes possible to protect Belongership status while creating a distinct Residency status for non-nationals residing in the BVI long term,” Malone explains in the report.
“This approach ensures that the process for attaining citizenship is neither guaranteed nor automatic, promoting a more balanced and thoughtful approach to immigration and population growth in the BVI,” the report states.
The issue of residency and Belongership is a hot topic in the community as many BVIslanders believe it is already too easy for expatriates to attain Belongership. At the same time, there are those who believe work permit holders contribute significantly to the BVI’s advancement and should be given a fair shot at residency and Belongership as Virgin Islanders.
The new report – tabled in the House of Assembly on September 7 – notes that many persons don’t fully understand the subject of residency and Belongership, as the government has no clear-cut approach and has never led a public education campaign to educate residents.
Malone was asked to review and make recommendations in the report after the Commission of Inquiry found that the BVI government was not adhering to laws when granting residency and Belongership to individuals.
The COI recommended that the whole system be reviewed and appropriate steps taken to rectify the important process.
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Send these people back home after 7 years and we only keep the ones with skillsets that we absolutely don’t want to lose. It’s too easy to just move to the BVI and stay forever; two twos they want every right and privilege as the people who from here. We granting work permits for everything wether its something that require specialist skills or not. If we going to continue to be so loose with letting people in we cant just let all of them make the 10 years and be eligible for belongership. To me how long you here should not even be the only variable that determines wether you become a belonger or not.
Let’s move forward with time limit on work permits.
I nearly choked in my morning coffee reading this.
In BVI it is almost impossible and most certainly entirely unreasonable and not in line with any international standard to become belonger/citizen.
After 20 (!) years you can apply, but then the officials simply put your paperwork on a pile that will simply never ever be looked at.
So now it has to become even harder.
BVI is the become the most xenophobic place on earth (if this was not already the case).
Yes, get rid of all expats and start making funny looking babies again.
Wrong end
This is why people like Carvin Malone will never set foot back in the house of assembly. It’s people like him and Kedrick have held back our Caribbean brothers and sisters from progressing in this place. They smile with you but they not for you. I didn’t expect anything better from Kedrick. They will go to their graves with enough regrets to keep them out of heaven. Change your dirty and malicious minds and watch God work. Just cannot stand selfish, greedy and coward bastards.
Time limit please….. take your b..ks… off of our island and leave us with our funny looking babies.
will be rejected.
So then will every BVI islander give up their US and other foreign passports, Green Cards, etc???
Somebody who not afraid to say it like it is despite that it gonna upset this angry mob of outsiders/ expats that we allow to enter our country and outnumber us. Now they feel like is so much of them that they can demand whatever they want. Please remind them that it’s a privilege not a right!
Just put a cap on what you want your population to be. We should not be losing health care professionals, teachers ect. We need to encourage certain skilled people to stay.
Does that make sense?
Can permission to work could ever be comparable to citizenship or a legal right to live and work permanently?
And they have the audacity to call us stupid.
YES! YES! 7 YEARS THEN EXIT AND REAPPLY TO COME BACK IN.
Boy I wish that you could’ve read….The article clearly stated Kedric Malone….NOT KEDRICK AND CARVIN
You should have choked
Are the BVI for real? spending 10 years plus in a country, pay taxes and spending your hard earned money there and to gain residency will be much harder. Why the BVI Islanders go the USA and US Virgin Islands to have their babies? Oh right they want them to be US CITIZENS!!!!.
Not everyone will be happy but what he says makes sense. You cannot have anybody coming here and automatically becoming a resident simply for being here for 10 years? Nothing else? No other criteria? That is rubbish and unsustainable. Kedrick should’ve been elected because he seems to have backbone to do what’s necessary. This is not about making anybody happy, it’s about preserving the BVI for many more generations to come. Nobody is saying an expat shouldn’t ever get status, but it shouldn’t simply be based on time spent if we want to build a quality population.
better to make a funny looking baby that will be well taken care of by both parents who HAVE NO WHERE TO RUN, than to get one for an expatriate who will abandon it when they are done building their houses back home and leave the island or get deported for doing crime in the territory and leave that child in a single parent home.
the government don,t see this problem but social development feeding those half breed children who might never see where the other parent is from but that child is now a burden to the B.V.I government and the government don,t know where to find the expat parent who disappeared to collect child support.
I expected a more comprehensive approach from Kedrick.So much to consider about giving or not giving Citizenship.
By any stretch, 10 yrs is a long time for citizenship compared to many countries worldwide. While the BVI must be careful not to appear as the most vile or xenophobic place on earth, I appreciate that there are particular BVI circumstances and probably time alone is not the best criteria.
So, why not create a comprehensive points system, as a pathway to Citizenship. See what Canada is doing?
Great thinking has created the greatest nation on earth, and engaging in misguided emotions or being xenophobic wasn’t part of the formula. The BVI could be great but inclusivity must be part of the mix for that to happen.
If you think it is the brothers and sisters from over there and down there blogging up on this issue, well you might be very wrong. Judging by the syntaxes, the vast majority are the none colored folk over yonder.
Such legislation is sorely needed for these tiny islands, for the protection of the few locals that are left.
It is needed to begin the process of attracting folk with valuable contributory skill sets needed for the continued growth, development and expansion of the critical pillars of the economy.
It is also critical in the subversion of the secret goal of the current and obvious segregationist and, its goal to increase its numbers here to re-colonialize these islands and people by 2050.
He who choses to remain asleep will be rudely awaken and dealt with like docile sheep. She who does not accept and deal with truth will resort to negative thumbs as the normal recourse.
That legislation is needed and must be implemented to enhance and protect the security of the people and the territory for the genuine local folk.
It’s only common sense. If you build a 10 bedroom mansion. One might that say that’s a big house but if you keep adding to the occupants eventually you will run out of bedroom space. The BVI is heading to a path of overpopulation. Just look at the traffic situation. There is not much to do that will fix it besides putting a restriction on the number of vehicles which will be ridiculous.
The BVI is a very small territory. 50 something square miles including the ones owned privately and uninhabitable cays and islands. The infrastructure was never designed or intended for more than 10,000 people.
The success of the BVI has led to a sharp and rapid increase in population. In less than 20 years the population increased by 400%. While the population has increased the land mass isn’t getting any bigger. We keep adding new residents through status every year. It’s just common sense. Eventually there is going to be more than a traffic issue to worry about. We can’t fix the issue the way bigger places like the UK and US would. They still have large areas of available land a 1000 times the size of the BVI. This is much bigger than a human rights issue for the BVI.
Kedrick is a joke. He was * in government and only got positions (and this consultancy) because of … If the country wants to follow his recommendations, then all those little boys on their scooters might actually have to do some work, or the country will be reduced to becoming a narco state.
I hope the OECS is seeing this comment and this news. This will definitely get to them and affect BVI relationship with the OECS
This is how we treating Islanders or those who are not from here. Wow so I will advise that the 70% of nurses and doctors who are in the BVI medical field and are not from here can be sent home l. Also 60% of construction workers who are Islanders send them home. None of the Caribbean country should have any trade business with the BVI. Because it looks like the Islanders are not welcome here. So it does not make Sense to live in a place we’re almost 60% of the people do not like Islanders and do everything to frustrate them. Next time a storm or hurricane passes let The British government assist leave the Islanders out of it.
The country is over generous with the granting of citizenship. This is a tiny place. Belongership after 20 years should be the minimum. Work Permit holders should renew every five years.
I said what I said and I will say it a 100 times. The whole report was orchestrated by Malones against hardworking Caribbean people who build up BVI. They are conditioned hypocrites that the BVI should steer away from their backwardness. Whoever approve Kedrick for the report just as bad.
BVI is now North Korean Virgin Islands with their new slogan “Moving backwards in time”
The BVI will not get anywhere with backward thinking people like who wrote that stupid report. please take your recommendations and leave the BVI. Not even him deserve to be here. Enough with the backward mentality and holding down people. News flash kedrick no bvislander with sense would come back home. i could defintely say you do not belong in bvi. you need to go somehwere in the wild jungle with this. Let them lions and hyena let you know who belong where.
the hospital is over full with expat workers to the point that barely anyone makes it back out alive,nobody wants to go there for care and who does go doesn’t get any care,some of the doctors who don’t know what they are doing, the bad mind employees boycotting each other so no work is actually being done properly. go in for a toe problem and leave with a tag on your toe in a body bag to Tortola Memorial. send them home they ain’t working they just bad minding locals and everybody down there sleeping with each other.
look how the government waste tax payers money again with this bullshit report. the same tax payers on work permit kedrick narc***istic backside looking to bring more hardship on. Rubbish.
Why would an expat invest in business or property if they had to leave after a fixed period. All that will happen is that capital needed to build the Territory is sent overseas.
@finally, expats work in the finance and maritime sector. If they left, both could collapse. BVI would lose their main sources of income and could go back to being dependent on handouts to survive, as it was prior to 1978. You up for that?
The late Omar Hodge said (and I paraphrase) that after 10 years here, we ought to know whether or not someone ought to be able stay.
That’s still true.
So with the intention of making it difficult for them not to gain any kind of status. The government should as well put things in place like do take out no Social Security out of their salary. Yes NHI can apply. We love to talk about human rights. How does it look with social security payments if I can never benefit from it after seven years.
We make it difficult for people who have worked hard and contributed to the country’s economy, followed the laws of the land, and have been good citizens for more than two decades, yet when the ministers’ boyfriend, girlfriend, rich friend, a friend of a friend or other friend comes they are given rights in the country after spending just a few years.
I also KNOW about persons who have been here for less than no time being called and asked if they would like to be residents even if they have no interest in being in the territory or contributing to it’s development.
This kind of behavior by a few and those who support it (like Malone) is the reason why a lot is wrong in these islands and with it’s development. I wish us all luck, limits on work permits will ensure the destabilization of many services and industries here, these legal immigrants will just go to another jurisdiction where there are no limits establish themselves in a shorter period of time, and continue to produce for that economy, and we will decline due to selfishness, greed, xenophobia and poor political management.
There is nothing righteous about the Colonial Empire ordered by the church in the 15th century. It has perpetuated the most horrific crimes against humanity the planet has ever known. Should the people of the Virgin Islands struggle to cope with the fallout of this madness or should we give up and go to hell in a hand basket. Does anyone from larger countries who perceive an opportunity to make a fortune on the backs of a few naive souls really care what is the outcome when they have returned to their homeland with the riches gained in the rape and plunder of these brainwashed victims of the church’s colonial empire.
“In the report, Malone says the current residency and Belongership system makes it easy for work permit holders to be eligible for citizenship once they’ve lived in the BVI for 10 years.”
Ha! Malone must be living on a different island.
Ok fine but would that make on eligible to receive benefits from Social Security within that time frame for when the hit the age of 65. If not then the percentage charged to them should be different. Raise the time when would qualify to apply, or increase the term limit for permits to 10 years which would allow one to qualify for the SS contributions
Need more citizens to vote people like you out of office. This is just nutty!
How about progressing at home? People from the bvi are not given the opportunities expats are given and that should not be the case.
They will all leave anyway because they are only interested in reaching retirement so they can go home and live happily ever after.
But we are stupid. When places like Cayman and Bermuda tell them its time to leave they move to the BVI where they can remain forever
After 10 years – work exemption
15 years- residency
20 years- belonger.
These statuses should not only be based on time spent but on other factors such as being law abiding and making a valuable contribution to the territory.
COMING FOR ALL YOUR COUSINS AND BRETHREN USA PASSPORTS, BUT FIRST THEIR IRS LIABILITY. ayo not set foot in states again without coming straight. how that?
I will write some notes to my US reps and homeland sec. as a thankyou to a man who think 3650 days working and paying into system don’t bring deserved rights. Now I can quote you speaking for the bvi gov. with these words above. US Gov now have reason to do what beaurocrats do-make things harder for you and all belongers in usa because of apartheid ways . usa born on “no taxation w/o representation” this is human rights violation, uncle sam no like, and it’s in writing now. smart choice.
BVIslanders eff up immigration over the yeas now this ?
it’s quite unfortunate, very unfortunate when person wants to be heard they jump om the expats, hurricane Irma i really thought we would have learned something.
Easier? The law may have been 10 years but I dont know of anyone who got belongership after 10 years. About 10 I know of had to wait between 28years to 30 years!!!
Why do you think the skilled ones want to stay with an attitude like the Government has? They will just all leave and the businesses and then there will be no money to pay for the highly paid Government jobs. Let alone the payroll tax and NHI and SSB to pay for the hospital and pensions. And no money spent in the shops or to pay the high rents. Virgin Islands will be poor. Good luck!
10 years you are having a laugh mate- the law maybe 10 but no e ever been processed before 25 to 30 years. So all belongers willing to give their UK passports then? They don’t have to wait 30 years for those.
Even if you get your green card in USA fairly quick certain things are hard to accomplish or earn in the USA.
Don’t forget when you’ll send home the expats, who will pay all those humongous house rent and mortgage. Number some of you all don’t like to work you’ll just like to sit and do nothing and want easy money ! You have to work hard to get what you want just like the expats !!! You’ll don’t like us
So how comes my application with 20 years plus of legal residency has not yet made it out of the “we have received your Application pile” ⁉️⁉️
How comes this isn’t as easy peasy Lemmon squeezy as he’s making it out to be?
When work permit holder apply for residency it take 15 to 20 years to approve and not everyone that apply is approved most don’t even get a response that their application is received so don’t get it twisted and make it seems easy is not!!
Firstly, the report does not say “The government has been advised to implement measures to make it more difficult for work permit holders to be eligible for residency and Belongership status.”
Secondly, if there was no foreigner in this land, BVI will stay stone age forever. There won’t be fancy cars driving around the land, no ships around, end of businesses .
Thirdly, BVI teenagers goes to foreign country and doesn’t want to come back. As they find better life and opportunities and don’t want to be part be corruption. Don’t forget BVI teenagers lives in foreign land.
Lastly. take some responsibilities and accountabilities of your work. Otherwise, BVI will be stuck with this current situation forever.
THE US SHOULD SEND EVERY LOCAL BACK TO THE BVI AFTER 3 YEARS, WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE SO AGAINST US, BECAUSE WE CAN DO EVERYTHING BETTER THAN A LOCAL?????
COME ON WE ARE HUMAN BEING LIKE EACH ONE OF YOU. HAVE SOME RESPECT IF NOT FOR THE EXPAT FOR YOURSELF AS A BVI LOCAL.
That explains why after they interviewed me that I necer even heard back from the interview. The thing that kills me is that are not even bright. are as dunce as they come.
Imagine they can talk about funny looking babies, do they see the things that come from them islands. Sometimes I wonder what’s the criteria of importing expats, seems we get the worst or less than worst, the rejects their own country done want and glad to get rid of, is who the BVI taking. Send them home, our islands is now full of funny looking people thanks to these expats. So they need to take their funny looking a$$e$ back home.
Pot kettle and all that. How many BVIslanders are enjoying their automatic UK passports having never lived a day in the country? It’s all good talking about protecting the island from over population and loss of culture and identity. Many in the UK feel the same way, so, lets do unto others. If you don’t want expats here, give up your rights in the UK or US.
What these people do not realise is that if all the expats – who earn $ for the FSC, Inland Revenue and NHI and SSB, the Landlords, garages and the shops like Riteway – all leave then there will be a huge reduction in $ for the BVI. This toxic environment against expats means that most of them don’t want to stay for longer than 2 to 3 years. Its cutting off your nose to spite your face mentality.
BVIslanders are not the only Caribbean residents that go to America to have their babies. And by the way, it is not all of us as I certainly didn’t. Lots of expats who live around here as well as other Caribbean islands do the same thing. Listen, we don’t talk or blog as much as you guys do, but trust me when I tell you that we are not stupid. Canada is also another country that Caribbean persons go to to have their babies. Give me a break. We are tired of hearing that one. We have our babies where we want to have our babies as plenty of you have BVI babies. The difference between U.S. and us, well, it comes down to one thing, land space.
I wonder what would happen if all the expatriates including carribbean nationals left this territory. As it is many cant make their mortgage payments because their rental income is gone.
No one considers the apartments that are rented to these people and the tenants who depend on the income, the supermarkets, stores and all the business places which thrive on the income from these persons collectively.
Do you really think that the few BVI landers (who are mostly US citizens) alone can sustain this territory financially.
Be careful, one day the Lord may just grant your foolish and selfish wish!
Meanwhile the few BVI landers who think that they are indigenous all have US passports and green cards and they fully expect the rights and privileges from the US.
Business owners I am sure, do not share the same sentiments as these zealous and foolish voices. Empty vessels make the most noise.
Mankind are their worst enemies!
May the desires of wicked be disappointed and the plans of the wicked come to naught!
I cannot believe am catching such foolish recommendations. No country in this world exist because of their so called natives. Absolutely none. These recommendations are coming from an ugly place.
Immigrants contributions are vast in comparison to what locals do. Locals while small , most, have questionable small and large businesses,that front a daily event that is not sustainable.
When skilled expat move from one country,it empty certain skill set from that country, and create a straggling event for years. The domino effects start with banks, the pull out their deposits, housing becomes empty,jobs vacancies, vehicle loans become lost, and they will tell their friends of your hospitality. So who will come after this type of treatment.
How is it that BVI will attract foreigners, expatriate into investment time, money and energy into a hostile environment. Does anyone think that the UK and US survived because they excluded foreigner from investment or expat workers.
Most BVI natives have their children in the UK and in US, who should have been building their country into a solid economy. But they are attracted to the things offered by the UK and US.
After Irma’s most brought their children to the Uk and the US, those children will grow to know a system that provides for them and their parents. The UK give to them all sort of support, housing, hardship support, for their school and college aged children, and their parents, spouses, and life long partners.
Financial support is given three times per year in the thousands and each year it goes up. So, my question is which one of those natives are coming home to build the BVI? The country will continue to have a brain drain, as now the UK government support first time home owners with more than 50% of financial backing, some banks no deposit,this is one key to building a nation, education,and the rule of law and God.
So,. Why they young people returning? It might end up with retired people and young babies. And I say that loosely, because the UK give 100 free hours of day care, and retirement money for those who are living here due to hardship, such as a natural events, hurricane,etc. stop seeing the expat as a problem and start seeing them as a solution to the problem created by the government.
There is nothing put in place by the government for those they sent on scholarship, to return home, so the lifestyle in the UK become attractive very easily,there is access to financial support. More and more of the people are heading to the UK and the US . The 7,10 or 5 years will push the expat south of the Caribbean, and drain what you now have, the tourist products needs to improve 300% or more to maintain life as we see it.
So third world. The big families are afraid of losing their dominance and power as a result rest of us are treated like crap. UK hurry up !
@ belonged
With less knowledge how migrants contribute, I expected that comment. No one will come to BVI. This need to stop because very soon this will be a reality. Santo Domingo, the Dommican Republic has signed an MOU with Guyana, Jamaica and St. Vincent if follow will drain BVI work force , because it’s the three biggest population that have migrants here. The impact we will not like it.
“ YES! YES! 7 YEARS THEN EXIT AND REAPPLY TO COME BACK IN.”
What an idiotic thought. You cannot build a business or a country with such rules.