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Visa Requirements For Guyanese To be Lifted Soon - Deputy Premier

by pltm
Aug 03, 2023
7

(PLTM) - Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour, and Trade, Hon. Lorna Smith has told a Guyana media house that the Government is considering lifting visa requirements for Guyanese and believes it will happen soon.

Several years ago, the BVI instituted visa requirements for Guyanese, a move that served to limit the influx of Guyanese workers to the BVI shores.

However, with Hon. Smith in Guyana leading a 16-member delegation to discuss business opportunities, the move to ease visa restrictions could be seen as the BVI seeking to work more closely with Guyana, which is swiftly becoming an investment hub fueled by the oil and gas sector.

Guyanese account for one of the largest migrant populations in the BVI, according to the last census data.

In an interview with Guyana's News Room on Thursday, Hon. Smith said, “I have been authorized to say that the BVI is considering lifting that (visa) requirement and I expect it to happen very soon."

“If we are serious about doing business with Guyana and a partnership with Guyana that is the first thing that has to be lifted,” Smith said during the candid interview.

She is sure it is something that will happen in short order, flowing from the removal of the visa requirement last year by the United Kingdom.

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Reader Opinion

Please note that the opinions posted are the opinions of its author and does not in any way reflect the views of the management, staff, parent company or sponsors of Virgin Islands Platinum News.

Opal

I thought she had more sense than that. SHAMEFUL

51w

Jim

Good we need more of them here to do the work lazy belongers won’t do

51w

lucky

i see this government is going force all the locals to go and look for other places to live.\n this visa was put in place for a reason and because the uk life it the bvi have to lift it also. the uk is a big place and they cry out when the influx gets out of hand.\n\nhon. smith this should have been a town meeting before making this a move.\nmore drug trade, more human smuggling, more killings etc. im not saying that they are the worse but go back to history and see why the visa was put in place.\n\nthink this over please. our country is being opened up to all the countries that previous government had restrictions on.\n\n

51w

Shotta

Nonsense...did she come to the public with this? Or did she make this decision all by herself...did she ask how we Bvilanders feel about this? She dont even care about us

51w

Down2earth

Visas are in place for a reason! What is the correlation between Guyana coming into money and the need for Guyanese to obtain a Visa to visit the Virgin Islands? OR Do the reasons for a Visa disappear because there is money? For lack of vision a people perish! Mrs. Lorna Smith, you need to think seriously about the implications, seen and unseen!\n\nA native Virgin Islander to the Nth generation\n

51w

Astridge.

Hon. Minister. Nice thinking. Lets first take it in stages. I will suggest we start by lifting Visa restriction for productive permanent residents who can properly care for their kids once they arrive. Hold off on adults for now,. Look at how the first step with the kids is working..With the adults its a lot to look at 1/ Boating over to USVI illegally,..2/ Flooding the local work market..

51w

lol

So this is what BVI had to sell to Guyana? Visa free travel?smh

51w

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