New Visa regime for Jamaicans  instituted

  By Mellica McPherson

 A panel consisting of the Permanent Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, Mr. Clyde Lettsome, Permanent Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office, Mr. Otto O’Neal, Registrar General, Mrs. Victoreen Romney-Varlack, Acting Chief Immigration Officer, Mr. Melvin Braithwaite, and Senior Administrative Officer in the Passport Office, Stephanie Penn, facilitated a press briefing with members of the media on Wednesday to reiterate Chief Minister, Dr. the Hon. D. Orlando Smith’s announcement pertaining to the new Visa Regime for Jamaican Nationals.

The news about this new Visa Regime was released on Tuesday 9 January during Hon. Smith’s weekly address to the Territory.

At the briefing Mr. Lettsome stated that a Visa Regime is nothing new to the BVI. In fact he said that it is one of the border management tools that is used to closely scrutinize persons and “to prevent undesirables from entering the Territory”. The Permanent Secretary said that it is important that the public understands “that the Visa Regime is not a ban, nor does it prohibit Jamaican nationals, or other nationals from the 91 countries that require visas to enter the BVI or from coming to the BVI.” (see list of countries that need their citizens to apply for visas if they wish to enter BVI on page 37)

Mrs. Varlack informed the media that in early December a delegation traveled to Jamaica to visit the British High Commission, to ascertain their procedure. She said that while there they were advised that in fact applications can be handled by the British High Commission for the BVI as they do for other overseas territories, the United Kingdom and other countries. “We were extremely pleased with that visit and we are now in the process of putting all of the procedures and measures in place to facilitate an easy and detailed Visa Regime for Jamaicans,” she said. The Registrar General explained that the Visa applications will be handled through the British High Commission, who will then channel the Visa request to the BVI where they will be reviewed, and the sponsors or any other persons will be checked. She said that after those procedures are completed the Visas will be forwarded back to the British High Commission, who will then issue the Visas to Jamaican Nationals who have applied. “We are aware that we have a good population of Jamaicans in the BVI and the question on how to handle them is being considered, but initially they will be treated fairly as if they had applied in Jamaica, but we will issue a stamp to them here,” Mrs. Romney-Varlack said.

Response from the Jamaican Government

Mr. Lettsome informed that once the Visa Regime was determined by Executive Council, the Chief Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Jamaica to let her know that it had become necessary for the Government to put the Regime in place. Mr. Lettsome said that Chief Minister Smith explained to the Prime Minister that the Visa Regime was not something that he necessarily wanted to do, but something that needed to be done  to protect the law abiding Jamaicans who contribute to the Territory’s economy, and to ensure continued protection of the Territory’s borders.

Mr. Lettsome said that since the BVI is an associate member of CARICOM, the Chief Minister also communicated with members of CARICOM as well as the Secretary General’s Office to inform them that this Regime will become effective in April 2007. Mr. Lettsome mentioned that he had also spoken with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jamaica, and while, he said that they are not terribly excited by the fact that the BVI will be implementing that Regime, they understood the Territory’s rationale for doing so. He said that the Jamaican Permanent Secretary told him that in due course they would like to have formal communications pertaining to the Regime and this Mr. Lettsome disclosed was sent by the Chief Minister. The Permanent Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office said that he imagines that in due course there will be additional dialogue.

How will the new Regime affect Jamaicans living in the BVI?

Mrs. Varlack stressed that Jamaican nationals living in the Territory will be treated fairly and that they will have access to the Passport Office where they will receive a Visa stamp in their passports. She said that the stamp will coincide with their entry time from the Immigration Department. In other words whatever time the applicant was granted by the Immigration Department will be approved in that initial Visa.

Subsequent to that and on the expiration of the Visa they will need to reapply in the BVI or in other cases will need to exit the country, and return. The Registrar-General mentioned that no Visa stamp will be issued before the 1^st April 2007. She also said that the British High Commission will be sensitizing Jamaican nationals planning to enter the Territory.

What Influenced the Regime?

Mr. Lettsome said statistics show that Jamaican nationals committed the most immigration offences between the period of 2002-2006. Some of the mentioned Immigration offences were overstaying and working illegally. He also disclosed that the Regime was allowed in October 2006.

According to Mr. Braithwaite, up until the paper relating to the establishment of the Regime was forwarded to Executive Council statistics showed that 60 percent of the immigration offences of over staying and working illegally were committed by Jamaicans, and he said that even after, the statistics remained the same.

Mr. O’Neal informed that the previous Government had also approved this very Regime. However, he said that it was not implemented. “This decision was contemplated long before the recent spate of crime,” Mr. O’Neal answered when the question of whether the recent criminal activities triggered this Regime.

Mr. Lettsome responded to the same question of crime being the crucial factor by stating that “the Regime was built on other statistics, and that this is not a reactionary posture by the Government.”

It was disclosed that as of 2006 there were 1,672 Jamaicans living in the BVI, 704 males, and 969 females.