No harm for BVI workforce in lifting Guyana visa requirement — Smith
Labour Minister, Lorna Smith, has dismissed concerns that there will be any harm caused to the BVI’s labour force if the government ultimately decides to remove a visa requirement in place for Guyanese nationals to the BVI.
“I see no ramifications, to be honest, in terms of the local labour force,” Smith told reporters at a press conference yesterday.
Despite suggesting previously in an interview in Guyana that the issue of lifting the visa requirement may be a foregone conclusion if the BVI wants to cement trade relations with Guyana, the Labour Minister stressed that she will not preempt that decision and cautioned that it is now only under active consideration by the government.
Smith explained that after conducting research on visa requests from Guyanese citizens who wanted to visit the BVI over the last two years, she was able to determine that refusals for those applications were negligible.
Furthermore, if the visa requirement is lifted, Smith shared, work permit applicants from Guyana who wish to come to the BVI will not be given an automatic pass, Smith emphasised.
“You don’t automatically come to the BVI. The fact that your visa requirement has been lifted, it doesn’t mean that you’ll automatically come to the BVI and work,” Smith said. “You go through the process of obtaining a work permit and in going through that process, it’s a process that’s very similar to the process of a visa.”
She said Guyanese, in applying for work permits, will still be required to provide all necessary background information, including on their criminal record for the last year, before any determination is made.
That determination will also examine whether a permit is needed for the particular Guyanese applicant, and it can be rejected, Smith added.
“Removing, lifting the visa requirement is nothing that is going to change the dynamics of the workforce in the British Virgin Islands,” Smith argued.
The Deputy Premier further pointed out that her delegation was told by Guyanese officials during a recent trade mission there, Guyana would love to have its people back to being part of its own labour force, where there is much development underway, especially in construction and engineering.
“So, it’s not that people are going to be flocking to the BVI, I don’t expect that there is going to be any change as a result,” Smith said.
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Lorna in we corner and with God’s Blessngs.
We don’t want no deportee Guyanese to end up here
Give it to the Santos!
Why isnt this woman looking out for the recent graduates who are jobless?
I want back my vote from this deceptive woman. I never trusted you and now I see why. You presented yourself to the public standing for one thing and then turned around and joined the same people who have mismanaged and plundered our resources. All for your own selfish gain and then tried to cover your actions with lies. You joined the party of AF, JW, BS, CSC and the rest of the bandits after condemning their actions to get votes during the elections. I cannot trust you and I don’t trust you.
That’s the face of an opportunist. Deceptive Delila
If you had any sense you would see that Lorna is in her own corner and has always been that way.
I am not in favor of lifting the visa requirement for Guyanese nationals. Lorna is trying to nail the coffin shut and needs to be put in dark dusty corner.
I may be wrong BUT Mrs Smith’s detractors are overwhelmingly women ?
Jealousy and
envy the catalyst?
Lorna thinks she’s doing good by squeezing her way in a position. Truth Lorna them losers on the opposition would have done worst to you. Lorna understand she was dealing with savages. It just hurt a lot of them con artists because they got whipped by a woman. Lorna spells Karma.
Fool!
Shame on you Lorna.
You say you see no ramifications of lifting the visa restrictions for Guyanese. The fact of the matter is that there are so many persons out of work and graduates just leaving high school with very few job opportunities out there. I am not singling out Guyanese but we cannot continue to leave the flood gates open for more people to come into our country when most of the unemployed and highly educated are our own. Many have come to you for a solution with no resolution or sense of hope. Remember you currently have a job with the benefit of jet setting around the world on the taxpayers money. If Guyana is thriving right now why would they want to come here anyway.
Many from here don’t want to do the work that expats do. Neither do we teach people here the skills to do the work they do.
From what I have seen the Guyanese put a big emphasis on education and training in Guyana; and have a really good work ethic. Those are attributes which can really benefit the BVI.
They can be in short supply locally; where there is such a sense of entitlement through being “born here”.
…and yet you voted….what does that say about you?
THE GUYANESE MINISTER SAID THAT THEY NEED 100,000 EXPAT WORKERS THEMSELVES
Lift all the visa requirements you want thats not a problem but for God sakes at least ask for a clean police report.. if you waiving visa requirement..no criminal from any country should be allowed to visit.
Speak for yourself what do you know about the work ethics of the people of the BVI. There are a lot of us who are highly skilled and qualified and are being victimised by the powers that be.
Who d f r u 2 decide I was a victim of backtracking..so sdfu
i was thinking the same, because why so much hatred towards Guyanese .
I’m a Guyanese I don’t think that a good idea because tortola wouldn’t be the same how you will no who have a criminal record how you will know who you letting in the country next things you can walk on the road with your phone in your hand you will can wear gold accessories not even your house will be the Same I’m not bad talking Guyanese because I’m a proud Guyanese but they is a reason for the visa I think it should remain that way
So I should do the menial jobs while expats get the big paying jobs, right?
For that anonymous guyanese you should be ashamed of your self..all they need to do is make sure who ever they let in the country wether it be guyanaese Spanish African they have a clean criminal record
. Because I have traveled all over the world and the locals in all the Caribbean Islands are very lazy and don’t want to work so how will a country build up. Shame on you that anonymous guyanese they need to deport ya a$$ from there
please tek it / the way that canary from the yellow site singing , we all thought it was the UK and their GOVERNORS who was Mismanaging and PLUNDERING our WEALTH , thanks for enlightening us on WHO is EXPLOITING their OWN PEOPLE and pointing their dirty fingers at the RACIST
& COLONIALISTS UK •¿• ( a little confession is good for the soul
You know when something is too good to be true? Thats how the scamming games are and people fall for it. People were warned against voting for Delilah But some didn’t listened. Delilah is in her own Corner. We were warned. Some said “You think Kedric was bad? wait until you vote in Delilah”. We did not listen. We were played. Nothing last forever. Time will tell.
Guyana cannot, should not go ahead of Santo Domingo in this process. Santo is where our grand fathers went to work to feed and educate us.. That’s the truth.
Lorna God bless you and your family and the bvi government amen
We guyanese don’t need to go bvi . You all see great developments in guyana and want friendship now. Go to hell.
Doesn’t your last question answer the concern you raise at the beginning?
Comments here are not surprising. But folks seem to confuse a visa waiver for tourism and a permit for work. No country I visited asked for a police clearance for a tourist visa so removing the visa requirement does not necessarily increase travel by criminals.
The British themselves have removed the visa requirement for Guyanese but the VI wants to be a hold out?
Frankly, Guyana should implement a visa requirement for all countries who refuse to lift the ban. Reciprocity is needed.
Why don’t you ride the shark back you hopped on back home. You people are to damned ungrateful and by the way you are also too illiterate to know who the real locals are.
That means more money is to be made here as the economy is booming due to oil exploration. So more Guyanese will be needed here than they would be there.
Lorna and her supporting cast going too fast..They need to slow down and give this more thoughts.. I first wil like to see a visa lift for all kids of legal resident parents,…Then again Lorna who is an NDP holding VIP hostage because when she cannot get her way she threatens to walk away..So she has a lot of clout because VIP needs to keep her happy.We in trouble.
Competition tight with she and Kedrick for who worse.
Yall just dont get it. You think in 5yrs time Guyanese would want to come to the BVI to look work? Nooooo they will be home in a country thriving economically. It is you and other Caricom nationals who would be running to Guyana to look work. But yall minds so full of hate and sitting on a high horse, that yall cant open your eyes to see what Lorna is talking about. Guyanese wont care about a BVI visa, when already they can go to the UK Visa free and soon it would be other big named countries. So yall can stay on your high horses, while other caribbean countries and other countries in the world rush to guyana for trade deals.
Is not what Guyana did for yall, is what Guyana can now do for you.
Well sah, Now that Guyana is about to take off knowing that Guyanese would rather stay at home let’s lift the Visa requirements. All roads leading to Guyana now and Tortola after treating them like crap is front of the line.
Just as we don’t want no deportee Tortolian to end up in Guyana
Wowwww, the level of evil in some of u thoughts and hearth is unbelievable, have u realized y everyone wants to do business with Guyana? It is because Guyana has a lot to offer.
U all have such one track mind, what recent graduates got to do with this? What the Dep is doing is creating business that will be beneficial to the BVI, think before blurring out ur even thoughts.
The truth, u have answered ur questions urself, Guyanese r going back home from all over the world, people from other nationalities r flooding Guyana, the Dep Guyanese can come here to work freely, anybody comes here as lone as u r not a belonger, must have a work permit, or u came to visit, that will not change, it just for people who wants to visit, and even those who lives here, because even Guyanese who lives and work here needs a visa if they r not belonger, so I don’t see what u all r upset about, when this preudiceness will stop, come on people. God make land, but men makes boundaries.
AT LEAST A CLEAN RECORD, for God sake, look at the Guyanese population in the BVI that alone will tell u the integrity of Guyanese, they r the best behaved people in the BVI, so what r u talking about clean police record? Again think before talking foolishness, y would a county require police record for visitors? Stupid.
As a Guyanese I have seen guyanese been treated awful by so many when we go to find better opportunities to support ourselves and families. So now we are set for progress and better days we want our Caribbean brothers and sisters to be a part of the process nonetheless. Kindly note that if our Caribbean brothers and sisters do not take the opportunities, guess who will? Ignorance and hatred only keeps us back. Both nation can benifit from such initiative.
As a Guyanese I have seen guyanese been treated awful by so many when we go to find better opportunities to support ourselves and families. So now we are set for progress and better days we want our Caribbean brothers and sisters to be a part of the process nonetheless. Kindly note that if our Caribbean brothers and sisters do not take the opportunities, guess who will? Ignorance and hatred only keeps us back. Both nation can benifit from such initiative.
They don’t want to work for their money
Is USD currency they love and wants
They already is the biggest in expats
I can see little Guyana in this small territory….
I agree. Alot of these Guyanese will scrape up money to buy a ticket to come in here and once they reach they will get an automatic 90 days immigration stay.
Then because we lack proper immigration control, they will stay and find some work illegally, I can guarantee that.
Hopefully no bad persons get in because then crime will increase three fold. No more walking the streets peacefully as alot of the bad Guyanese are robbers and once they get in a place like BVI where there is not much security around, then people need to be vigilant when you go to the Bank or ATM’s, much less wearing jewellry. People be careful of the decisions you make.
Getting a visa at least you know certain checks will be made as to their financial background, police record etc.
“Removing, lifting the visa requirement is nothing that is going to change the dynamics of the workforce in the British Virgin Islands,” Smith argued.
Crock of bullwhip s**t. has she ever research why countries impose visa regimes in the first place? New found power struggle looming.
Why would any Guyanese with sense want to come to the BVI now? That place is ridiculously expensive to survive. Help me make sense of it.
Keep ah yo visa restrictions yea.
Hmm a lot of the Arawaks (the first indigenous here) came from Guyana.
like you didn’t see the amount of people from the phillipines here?? They might have already formed that little thing you talking about.
Dirty and bad mindedness.
There are many Guyanese in Tola who went there to make a better living. Wherever Guyanese go, they try to make a positive impact. So for those hate on Guyanese, just know that we pay taxes, obtain poloce clearances, go through all the pricesses in place before we set foot in Tola. Many countries including developed nations are heading to Guyana because we have a booming oil sector which is set to impact the country and the region.i dont see why BvI shouldn’t also make use of the opportunity.
I was being cynical with my remark. You all miss the point what lorna is doing is not a priority nor will it bring business to the bvi. Currently unemployment is at an all-time high and there are lots of things that the government can do to raise revenue and create job opportunities in the country and there are number of us bvislanders with the knowledge and experience that can help but are not given the oportunity. My post is directed at lorna not guyanese. I am married to
an expat and would not change that for the world. Also i have guyanese friends. the plan that i see as a viable one to rejuvenate this county’s economy will require persons from all nations residing here to make a contribution but it would need a few brilliant minds here to hash out the details.
The BVI want to indulge in trade relations with Guyana, not the other way around. Just fair now that you lift the VISA requirement for Guyanese if you want to foster that relationship. Guyana have much to offer in any trade relationship.
Say it out loud for the dunces in the back.
The table does turn..that’s y us black ppl could never get anywhere..too much hate towards our own.
Y are u fighting against ur own brothers and si sters? This earth owes us a living regardless of the color of our skin or religion…
Guyana is the most.booming countries in this hemisphere hence running to the BVI is not a plate of food on the table. We have cheap and fresh vegetables and fruits that we eat daily. All are running to this country to eat.up our wealth because we have what it takes. Crime is all around the world but we are a happy people in our own backyard so you and the visa can stay right there, we care less. People just like to around to see places now, life is is good so whether visa is given or not we dont care.you stay in your yard and I in mine.
If you bring Guyana in Road Town Harboue I still will not go. Keep It.