TCIG Announces Revised Procedures and Fees, for Visas, Permits
The Ministry for Border Control and Labour today Tuesday October 22, 2013 announced revised and new fees and procedures for several categories of Visas and Permits. Effective November 1, 2013 the following will apply:
Visas
The following provisions and fees shall now apply for:
· a single entry visitor’s visa -$150
· a one year multiple entry business visa - $500
· a student visa - $300
In addition a non-fundable application fee of $100 is now payable.
There is also now provision for:
· a seaman’s visa - $300
· and a person for a visa to attend a charitable, sporting or religious event -$25
All applicants must satisfy the Department of Immigration that they are genuine visitors, that they will not engage in an occupation and that they will leave the Islands at the end of the stipulated period.
Endorsement of Spouse and/or Child on Work Permits
· for a spouse - $500
· for each child - $500
Residence Permit for Spouse of a Turks and Caicos Islander (Belonger)
· for the spouse - $500
· for the endorsement of each child -$300
Temporary Work Permits
· For groups performing at commercial entertainment events - $250 per member
· For groups performing at religious, charitable or civic events - $25 processing feeing
· In all other cases the fee remains $700
Employed and Self Employed Work Permits
· To apply for an extension or renewal of a work permit by a self- employed person or employed person, regulations have been introduced to require that such applications must be made at least 30 days before the expiration of the existing permit.
· If the application is made after the expiry of the work permit, a penalty fee of $250 shall apply.
· Where a request is made for the processing of an application for a work permit within 7 days of making the application, a fee of $500 is payable.
Passports
· Passport fee for British Overseas Territory Citizens 75 years and older – Free
The following increase comes at a time as the Government orchestrates ways of generating revenue.
An American Airlines Boeing 757 had an emergency landing in Provo
RTC News has learnt that at 10:10am Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies, Providenciales Office, received a call from 911 informing the department that an American Airlines Boeing 757 from Port of Spain Trinidad, Trinidad enroute to Miami had requested clearance for an Emergency landing at the Providenciales International Airport with 175 souls on board including crew members.
The pilot reported a fire in the cockpit and that the left engine was smoking and dripping fuel. The aircraft had one hour and thirty minutes of fuel on board. The aircraft landed at the Providenciales airport at 10:23am.
The aircraft was towed from the original spot on the runway to the main terminal. All passenger and crew disembarked the aircraft at 11:15am.
RTC broke the story via twitter after the stand-down was given at 11:29am.
There were no injuries or fatalities reported to our news desk.
SHADOW MINISTER CALLS FOR TRADE POLICY
The Minister of Finance, Investment and Trade's response to questions I posed to him during the sitting of the last House of Assembly confirms my belief that our Country does not have a sound trade policy in place.
Based on my observation, it appears that our three major trading partners are The United States, The Bahamas and Panama. We import most of our goods from The United States, our fuel from The Bahamas and Panama supplies many of our larger retail stores with their resale products. Therefore, I must question the wisdom of using public funds to embark on a trade mission to a Country, according to the Minister, with which we do the least amount of trade.
Prioritizing where we direct our trade and investment efforts is imperative as the Government claims that there are minimum funds available. As the government tries to increase its revenue, it must abandon its strategy of taxation and really begin to focus on those elements that drive our economy.
Inward investment is only one of them - trade, manufacturing, relief and incentive packages for small businesses must become a part of the strategy. Therefore, I am calling on the Government to hasten its trade policy and its manufacturing policy. Also, a number of relief and incentive packages for small businesses should be created and rolled out before the end of the year.
Peoples Democratic Movement Position on the Attorney General
Within recent months, we in the Opposition have heard “rumblings” from within the governing Party suggesting that there is dissatisfaction with the Person of the Attorney General. What began as an inaudible rumble became clearer AFTER the Acting Attorney General followed through to confiscate the PNP Headquarters on the Airport Road.
Following the loss of their Headquarters, the Premier and Ministers cannot seem to separate their role as “GOVERNMENT” from that as leader and members of the PNP party. There is a clear distinction. The PNP find themselves in a fight with the Government over the loss of their Headquarters that was built illegally on Crown land.
There is NOT a joint campaign between the PDM and the PNP elected members to request or demand the recall of the Attorney General. The Premier has not defined or disclosed the grounds for the recall of the Attorney General to his own Party. This is evident from the email from former Leader of PNP Mr. Clayton Greene that made front page of the Turks and Caicos Sun newspaper. Based on an informal meeting with the Premier after he adjourned the House on Thursday, October 3rd, it became clear to us that the Premier has not thought this matter through based on his responses to The Leader of the Opposition AND experienced members of his own Party. His wish lacks a considered plan that will produce results.
We, in the PDM, are not persuaded by hype or emotions. We cannot and will not follow a drumbeat that is unclear in its message or direction. The Position of the Attorney General is a Constitutional position that is entrenched. There are provisions for the qualifications and appointment of a person to that office by FCO on behalf of HMG to serve at their pleasure. There are also grounds for the demitting of office of such a person in the Office of the Attorney. Not liking the Attorney General’s attitude is not grounds for his dismissal from office. We have our issues with him but we have to find the proper grounds for a request for his recall from Office. We have demonstrated in the House that we do not flinch in the face of the Attorney General when we feel he is acting out side of the rules.
As it stands, the grounds for objecting to the person of the Attorney General is known only to the Premier. Whether he is deliberate in his not wanting to tell us what the grounds are, or whether he is bound by convention to keep matters of Cabinet a secret, he has remained silent. At this time we are not undertaking any joint initiative with the PNP seeking to have the Attorney General removed. Released on Behalf of the Peoples' Democratic Movement
GSS to Address the Flooding of Roadways in Providenciales
The Ministry of Government Support Services (GSS) is working on measures that are expected to reduce flooding along the roadways in Providenciales.
In light of the recent heavy rains and subsequent flooding, Ministry Officials have reviewed the problem areas and historical records with a view to designing and implementing preventative measures in the affected areas.
The Ministry notes that there have been some recent improvements with the installation of a number of wells, but acknowledges that there is much more to be done to improve the situation.
A number of new and innovative ideas are under consideration and short term measures will be undertaken in house by the Public Works Department team. In addition, the Ministry recently concluded a competitive tender for consultant engineers in a project being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank.
The Project will; map the levels of risk with an analysis on risk reduction; identify and evaluate flood management options; undertake community vulnerability assessments; identify cost-effective drainage improvement measures; develop drainage policy and plans, as well as enhance the capacity of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to better manage flood hazards. The project will also assess the impact of projected sea level rises and other effects of climate change.
The Consultancy is expected to start within the next three months with the objective of developing a strategy and plan for Capacity Strengthening, Emergency Flood Response and Flood Risk Mitigation for the Turks and Caicos.
DEPUTY GOVERNOR CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE
Deputy Governor Her Excellency Anya Williams is celebrating one year in that post.
“On the occasion of my first anniversary as Deputy Governor and head of the Public Service of the Turks and Caicos Islands, I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to all of the hardworking civil servants throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands, for their often unrecognized service to the people and development of these islands, and for their support throughout the year.
“Looking back over the past 12 months, I have had the opportunity to engage with so many remarkable and well deserving individuals who are committed to their roles and to the service that they deliver.
“Much has been accomplished: the completion of the Pay and Grading Review, which resulted in the 10% Reinstatement of civil servants pay, with further much needed adjustments to salaries being forthcoming in the medium term; the reopening of the Government’s Training Unit in January which has since provided much needed training to over 700 civil servants; the regularisation and confirmation of several locals in key senior positions within Government, including vacant and new positions; the placement of many returning students and the increasing of local staff complement in the civil service to over 90%.
“During my tenure I have tried to keep the communication lines with staff open within Government, by not only holding quarterly meetings with the civil service in Grand Turk and Providenciales, but, also by visiting staff in their work environments including the family islands as well.
“As many of the previous reform programs with regards to the implementation of the new Public Service Ordinance and other work-streams have now been completed, my future focus will be on: training and development in the civil service, including a new training program titled the new 21stCentury TCIG Manager; to developing a proper E-Government Strategy to improve service provision; ensuring that the recommendations of the Pay and Grading Review of 2012 are fully implemented; to improve physical working conditions; to motivate and positively change the reputation and image of the civil service.
“As many of these areas have financial implications, I intend to work closely with my Cabinet colleagues to ensure that they share these priorities as a joint vision for the civil service over the next three years.”
I look forward to continuing to serve in this capacity and to bringing about much needed additional reforms in the civil service during my tenure as Deputy Governor.
Digicel TCI Update on its Saturday, 12th October network outage.
On Saturday, 12th October 2013, during one of the worst lighting storms the Turks & Caicos have experienced in years, multiple lighting strikes caused damage to critical equipment within Digicel TCI’s Core network, resulting in the majority of its services going offline.
Digicel TCI’s technical teams were onsite within an hour of the network going offline and they worked tirelessly throughout the day to replace the damage equipment and to get most of the services back online by mid-Saturday afternoon. On Sunday morning the links that allow Digicel valued customers to call subscribers on other domestic networks were restored.
Digicel TCI’s network is now 100% back online, and while it does not envisage any other disruptions in service, Digicel TCI would like to caution the public that like all telecommunications networks, its network is vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. If due to the current weather conditions being experienced it becomes necessary to make additional repairs to the network Digicel TCI will inform the public accordingly.
Digicel CEO, E Jay Saunders stated that, “I would like to apologize to all our customers and assure them that Digicel TCI takes all service interruptions very seriously. I met with the Digicel Board earlier in the week where we discussed the network outage along with plans to prevent a reoccurrence of the same. We have completed a full damage assessment and I can assure you that we will be making the necessary investments to the network to reduce our exposure to these sorts of issues in the future.”
L&L Parent Workshop: Attention and Focus in Children
The Learn and Lead Educational Center will host another Parent Workshop on Wednesday 23rd of October 2013, titled “Attention and Focus in Children”.
Managing Director of Learn & Lead Jamell Robinson told RTC News that more and more parents are complaining that their children just are ‘not settling.’
He said that a child that has difficulty with attention and focus often does not produce the results their parents know that they are capable of.
Specialist Educator, Senior Partner & wife Yoland Robinson also stated that this is becoming a common trend and needs to be reviewed by both educators and family if children are to move forward.
She’s urging people from all walks of life to join their team for an evening of knowledge sharing and discussion as we explore ways to improve attention and focus in children and in teens.
For more information or to register visit their center at www.learnandleadec.com.
TCI Fishing Study Now Underway
A U.K. sponsored pelagic fishing study commenced in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Turks and Caicos Islands today Friday, October 18, 2013. The study will determine the economic feasibility of developing an off-shore fisheries industry for the TCI, in addition to providing the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) with stock characteristic of various pelagic species.
At the time of this report, Dayboat I, the vessel being used in the study, is bringing in its first haul, which includes swordfish, mahi mahi, wahoo, big-eye tuna, yellowfin tuna and albacore. A shark and blue marlin were landed live and released, along with all undersized catch. No other bycatch has been reported at this time. A DEMA observer is aboard the vessel and DEMA is also able to monitor activities via virtual software.
When asked about today’s activities, DEMA Director Kathleen Wood said, “We are pleased that so far, all activities associated with this study appear to be proceeding as planned and as agreed. We know that there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this study but are confident that the sustainable methods employed and the results gleaned will speak for themselves and alleviate any concerns that the public may have now that the study is underway. We are hopeful that pelagic fisheries stocks will be sufficient to provide alternative livelihoods to TCI fishers.
Once the first voyage is completed, DEMA will be releasing all of the statistical data from the catch. DEMA also welcomes comments and questions from the public and can be contacted at environment@gov.tc and 941-5122.
GSS to Address the Flooding Road of Roadways in Providenciales
The Ministry of Government Support Services (GSS) is working on measures that are expected to reduce flooding along the roadways in Providenciales.
In light of the recent heavy rains and subsequent flooding in both Providenciales and Grand Turk, Ministry Officials have reviewed the problem areas and historical records with a view to the design and implementation of effective preventative measures for the affected areas.
The Ministry notes that there have been some recent improvements with the installation of a number of wells, but acknowledges that much more needs to be done to improve situation.
In addition to a number of short term measures being undertaken by the Department, consultants are being engaged under a Caribbean Development Bank funded project to review and develop strategies and a plan to reduce storm-water flood risks to communities throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Project will map the levels of risk; identify and evaluate flood management options; undertake community vulnerability assessments; identify cost-effective drainage improvement measures; develop drainage policy and plans, as well as enhance the capacity of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to better manage flood hazards. The project will also assess the impact of projected sea level rise and other effects of climate change.
Among other things the consultants will investigate the extent of flooding and review of the existing management practices in an effort to determine levels of flooding that could occur during extreme rainfall events.
They will also seek to:
1. Understand the mechanics of the flooding from rainfall events as well as consider the impact of rising sea levels and climate change on the TCI;
2. Determine the locations that are prone to inundation and the amount of inundation that will occur from specific storm events; and
3. Conducting a Risk Assessment and develop an emergency plan and method to address the flooding that is occurring in order to mitigate damage.