Rollover immigration policy could affect businesses — Vanterpool
Businessman and former legislator Mark Vanterpool has warned that a proposed rollover immigration policy could create major difficulties for businesses in the BVI, even as some residents continue pushing for stricter immigration controls to protect opportunities for Virgin Islanders.
Vanterpool made the comments recently on the Morning Facts programme during a discussion with host Cindy Rosan about immigration, labour and belongership in the territory.
Rosan, who has publicly supported tighter immigration measures in the past, argued that the BVI needs to seriously examine policies aimed at protecting the territory’s culture, economy and long-term future for Virgin Islanders.
Against that backdrop, Rosan raised the issue of a possible rollover policy similar to one used in the Cayman Islands, where some foreign workers are required to leave the country after a set number of years before becoming eligible to return.
While acknowledging concerns about immigration growth, Vanterpool said such a policy could negatively impact employers who invest years into training workers. “That policy sounds simple, but it would create a lot of problems for business owners,” Vanterpool argued. “Imagine you’re bringing in a worker, you train that worker for seven years to take a certain position in your business and after seven years, they’re gone?”
He added that industries such as hospitality rely heavily on stability within the workforce. “If you’re going to develop the hospitality industry — hotels, restaurants and so on — you need to have a population that you won’t change,” Vanterpool said.
The former legislator also pointed to the territory’s growing population and labour demands, noting that the BVI had roughly 15,000 residents when he returned home in 1985 but has since grown significantly.
“If you want to build the economy, you want to build it so that our business people and our local residents and local belongers continue to benefit from the economy,” he said. “But you have to accept that there will be people here for 20-25 years and what do we do with them?”
Rosan, however, maintained that Cayman’s rollover policy had worked successfully despite early resistance from businesses there.
Vanterpool did not dismiss the concept entirely and said the territory should still study how similar systems operate elsewhere. “I think programmes like those you should not ignore,” he stated. “It is a programme that we can research and see how it works.”
The discussion comes as the government recently announced plans to introduce a structured immigration quota-setting system through amendments to the Immigration and Passport Act. Under the proposal, immigration decisions would be tied to labour, housing, economic and demographic data instead of what officials described as an “unstructured system.”
The proposed framework would also establish an Immigration Quota-setting Committee responsible for recommending annual immigration quotas for residency and belonger certificates based on the territory’s capacity and national priorities.
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You business people would sell this country out to increase your profit margin.
If you examine the data, the outcome of the rollover policy in the Cayman Islands is that expatriates make up a higher percentage of those employed in many of the higher-paying professions, while in the BVI there is greater local representation in those same fields. The reverse occurs in lower-skilled occupations, where the BVI has a higher percentage of expatriate labour.
What Mark is saying makes sense. Virgin Islanders are generally not filling many of the lower-skilled positions, and the population should take pride in that. The alternative would be a greater proportion of high-paying jobs being occupied by expatriates. Our forefathers fought for exactly that outcome—greater participation by Virgin Islanders in the professions and industries that provide the greatest economic opportunities.
He wants more Filipinos to come in
This gentleman really needs to take a seat and reflect. When you look at his establishment, all you see are Filipino workers, while many qualified locals are struggling to find employment. The Labour Department needs to do its job and ensure fair opportunities for everyone instead of allowing politicians to influence matters that should be handled by the proper authorities.
Sir, As an Aspiring Politician on Your Second or Third Rodeo, Rosan Seems to Reason Better than You. Don’t Look at These Issues from a Personal Standpoint. Yes, we know that you are Keen on Employing People from Overseas and that’s Okay, But also Remember, Every Country if Not a Banana Republic MUST Put Certain Laws and Policies in Place to address such as Immigration Laws among others.
We are a UK Overseas territory as Bermuda and That Country has an Immigration law of Eight or Nine Years for an Expat Worker. After That Time is up, You Leave and wait a while if you intend to return. By That Time, Don’t You Think Employers would have already Made Provision for another Employee to take Their Place Whether a National of That Country or an Expat? That is Called “Thinking ahead or Critical Thinking. I Don’t Have a problem with You seeking Office, But When You Continue to Talk Certain Things That seems Not to align with What is best For The Country and people, I Have a problem With You again Sitting In Our HOA along With The ALL 13. Look at Things Wholistically Before You Speak Publicly. All Countries Must Put Laws or Policies In Place To Ensure That The Country is Properly Governed By Our Government. Lord Knows We already Have Enough Crookedness and Out of Order Activities already.. Think Mark Think!!
DISCUSS THESE SENSITIVE TOPICS WITH COMMON SENSE AND THE LAW.
Mark, that’s where you are wrong. The expat should be training a local, not vice versa.
Why are we surprised that Mr. Vanterpool feels this way? It is obvious that business persons in this community cares nothing for the local worker. They want the employee of their choice and it is not a local worker. Why? Because they choose profit margins and making money over developing their people. So they import from the Asian Pacific and the Government does not care how many workers are brought into this country to disenfranchise locals becaue they are eating and eating well.
However, it is a different kettle of fish when you are doing this and wants to be called Honourable. So Honourable Vanterpool and Honourable Walwyn, for example, wouldn’t get my vote as a local because my wellbeing is not important to them. There are not enough petty contracts to go around for me to eat all year long. We know of one job that had to be split into almost a hundred petty contracts and only God knows if they were locals.
You see, you need my vote so you talk a good game. How you got my back as a local and then I can ride around on bikes and starve and beg for a job but you do not care. So, it is time, it is 2026 and if you can’t practice what you preach, well, it is time to say no. I will not vote for you. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, especially for those politicians who you cannot find one local worker in their establishment, that says a whole lot. You do not care about me.
That Cayman’s policy has expired, Its old, no longer in use…Because like mark said it was affecting Caymans businesses negatively..
From what I know of the Cayman Islands “seven-year rule it generally referred to the maximum term limit for non-Caymanian work permit holders and not training a person for seven years as Mark implies and argue. But the Cayman Islands also had sweeping immigration overhauls which mandated restrictive approach to work mobility and protectionist workforce planning. The Cayman Islands operated a strict policy where work permit holders generally had to leave the Cayman Islands for at least one year upon reaching their 7-year limit. I have not followed up on any major changes in the Cayman Islands, but I guess there were changes accordingly. I know they had “Term Limits Exemption Permits” and a “Key Employee Status” to stay longer. I do not know if it is still in effect. The whole idea of such a restrictive policy and guidelines was to ensure Caymanian nationals are given first preference in the job market. I see nothing malicious about that happening here in the Virgin Islands but locals and expatriates here will fuss and complain just for that sake. Cannot please everyone. Life is real. Protect the Virgin Islands. Be Brave.
outcomes matter,and the Cayman policy has resulted in a greater % of the higher paying jobs are occupied by expats , while in the BVI you have greater representation by locals.Yes it is true that on the lower skilled job you have more expats than locals in the BVI but isnt that how any progressive person would want it?? Was that not the goal of our forefathers that we would be the doctors and lawyers etc and not focused on the low skilled jobs? Those hospitality jobs are where our parents and grandparents worked so that we could do better. But there is still a need for those jobs and just like any developing nation that has progressed to a certain point those position are taken by the immigrant population.
I don’t know what the rules are in Cayman, but I was there a few months ago and visited an establishment where some expats work, and they had me well question off about the BVI. Two of them mentioned that they have one year in Cayman, and they are thinking on coming to the BVI – not bout going the short distance home.
BVI is the safe haven.
The Cayman Is, has it own currency and strongly tied to the US dollar because its very stable amoung many other factors ,It holds it value so the exchange rate vs for example the Jamacian dollar is high about so $1 Cayman would be $1,600 Jamacian dollars. They are seeking opportunities where they can maximize their employment output. It the same as if you was working at office A and Office B offered you more money. So yes BVI is safe but thats not the reason, its about the currency.
The BVI has experienced amazing success from the 80’s. The use of skilled and unskilled immigrants brought in as needed made that happen and allows what we have to continue on. To stop that would have an arresting affect on business here and reverse much of the prosperity those that live here benefit from. I think as well for those new comers who have committed lives to working and improving their adopted country, they should be feel welcome and valued too. It is fair and it encourages them to invest and contribute more to the community than a transient workforce would.
So because of the fact that we spend the USDollar, everybody must be welcomed and hired in two and three jobs while the locals are disenfranchised? Because you are assauging your conscience by saying that locals don’t want to work? Well, do me a favour, please, go home for a little while and ask yourself whether that will be something that can happen in your home country. Don’t think about it while you are here. Go home and think about it and while there, STAY. Foolishness. Money is not everything. Some of you only act and talk like you love your country, but you love the USDollar more, obviously. I was in America and couldn’t wait to come home.
I didnt realize that the BVI owned that currency. But ask yourself why did you want to come home?because from what you are saying here it seems that you are saying its more than money.So if thats the case what about the people who are born here and this is the only home they know?