From:TheBahamasWeekly.com
Minister Mitchell on Bahamas Immigration Regulatory Changes
Oct 24, 2014 - 9:31:55 AM
Nassau, Bahamas - Delivered at Fox Hill PLP Branch Meeting
on 22nd October 2014 at Doris Johnson High School:
I wish to give a brief statement in response to the
feedback on the administrative measures announced by me in the House of
Assembly on Immigration.
I said that there would be certain changes expected on
1st November
following a period of feedback. Nothing that has come back by way of
feedback on the policies indicates that there is a need to change that
administrative starting date. The date will therefore stand as the
commencement date of the policy.
The policy is not aimed at any national group in The
Bahamas. It is generic in nature. It seeks only to better ensure that
the people who live and reside in The Bahamas have the lawful authority
to do so, either because they are citizens of The Bahamas or they have
permits to reside or work here.
I repeat that with immediate effect, we are no longer
accepting applications for first time applicants for residence or work
permits from those who have no legal status in The Bahamas. Those
persons also will no longer be able simply to demonstrate that they have
departed The Bahamas. This is in response to the increased suspicion of
fraud in connection with these applications. In order for such a first
time application to be processed, where the individual has no legal
status in The Bahamas, the applicant must be seen and certified as
having been seen by an officer of the nearest Bahamian embassy if there
is no Bahamian embassy in the applicant's home country. The embassies
are in a position to process these certifications.
Secondly, all those who are not nationals of The Bahamas who live in this country beginning
1st November
will be required to have the passport of their nationality and evidence
that they have permission to live or work in The Bahamas.
This may represent a broad class of people. I wish to remind the public
that the constitution of The Bahamas does not give citizenship at birth
to those born here of foreign parents. Those children have a right to
apply at their eighteenth birthday and before their nineteenth birthday
for citizenship of The Bahamas. Up to the time they are granted
citizenship, in law they are not Bahamian citizens. This means that
these people will be required to have a residence permit to reside
lawfully in The Bahamas.
This is a requirement for which there will be no
exceptions, save and except where someone is stateless. In the case of a
stateless individual, the Government will provide an identity document
but otherwise the practice of issuing certificates of identity is to
cease on
1st November. When the currency of existing certificates of identity expires, they will not generally be reissued or renewed.
We will speak with the all embassies in The Bahamas and we anticipate
that embassies will be able to meet that demand for passports.
We anticipate also that in the case of one national group it may take
administratively some three months to meet and process that demand and
for the Department of Immigration to process the volume of applications
for resident permits.
In any event, we expect that by
15th January 2015,
most people will have complied with this requirement and certainly that
children will have complied for the start of the school term in 2015.
If any citizen has a difficulty, they should contact their local embassy
for assistance with particular problems.
These measures are for the general good and will provide a
more secure form of documentation for all who work and live in The
Bahamas. I would therefore urge all citizens residing lawfully in The
Bahamas to comply with these new measures.
Those who are not here lawfully should expect increased
vigilance and enforcement on the part of the law enforcement authorities
in The Bahamas.
I wish to thank the public for their support of the measures, and for the responsible manner in which these have been accepted.
In particular, I would wish to commend the continuing
dialogue with leaders of the Haitian community and for their efforts to
ensure compliance with these administrative measures.
The door remains open for continued comment and dialogue as we seek to make The Bahamas a more secure place to live.
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