New Immigration Law Signed
His Excellency the Governor signed the Immigration (Amendment) Ordinance and Immigration (Amendment) Regulations 2012 into law on Mon, 23 July 2012.
This gives effect to the main messages received in the recent territory-wide consultation on the pathway to citizenship. Most of the provisions will come into law on 13th August 2012, but the new rules on Permanent Residence Certificates will come into law on 10th September 2012, which is when the current moratorium on new applications for PRC will be lifted.
The policy and legislation were debated by the Advisory Council on 30 May and 22 June and considered by the Consultative Forum in closed session on 25 June, and in open session on 27 June, when the legislation met with unanimous support, subject to some changes of detail (mainly affecting the new residence permits, and fees) which had been raised in the thorough debate.
The main changes to the law are in Section 3 of the Immigration Ordinance, which sets out the ways in which a person becomes a Belonger. In line with the majority of the responses to the consultation, from 13th August, the only ways to become a Belonger will be by birth, descent, adoption, by being married for ten years to a Belonger (other than a Belonger by marriage), or by being the dependent child of someone who becomes a Belonger by marriage. It will no longer be possible for the child of a non-Belonger who marries a Belonger to acquire Belonger status as soon as the marriage takes place, as a stepchild. There will be no provision for Belonger status to be granted in any other circumstances.
It will be the responsibility of an elected Government to bring forward an Ordinance which provides for Turks and Caicos Islander Status to be granted if certain conditions are met. This is a requirement of the Constitution, which also sets out the minimum conditions to be included in that Ordinance.
Other changes to the Immigration Ordinance include:
- It will be possible for Belonger status which was bestowed under the previous law to be revoked, where the Belonger is convicted of a serious criminal offence and is not resident in the Islands. This will only apply to those who had Belonger status granted for "an outstanding contribution to the economic and social development of the Islands".
- All Belongers will be able to obtain a National Turks and Caicos Islander Status Card which will be lawful evidence of their status. Cards are being issued free of charge to those who applied as part of the current exercise linked to the electoral register, but the new regulations provide for a fee of $50 in future.
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• There will be a new criminal offence of marrying in order to gain immigration advantage, with a penalty of up to two years' imprisonment and a $10,000.00 fine. This is aimed at so called "marriages of convenience" and would apply both to the person gaining immigration advantage and to the Belonger who is marrying them in order to allow them to do so.
• The law is being clarified to confirm that Belongers, PRC holders, and British Overseas Territories citizens by virtue of a connection with the Islands, ie TCI passport holders, are free to enter, reside, and work in the Territory, and cannot be excluded from or deported from the Territory.
Amendments to the Immigration Regulations include:
• Amendments to Schedule 3 provide for a new long-term residence permit for investors. From 13th August, it will be possible for someone who has invested $500,000.00 or more in Providenciales or West Caicos, or $250,000.00 or more in Grand Turk or the family Islands, to obtain a residence permit for up to ten years.
• The fee for a residence permit for the spouse of a Belonger will be increased to $300 per annum, with such permits being issued for up to 11 years. There are provisions for dependent children to be endorsed on the permit for $150.00 per child.
• There are amendments to Schedule 2, which applies to permanent residence certificates. From 10th September the Ministry will accept new applications for PRC under new, standardised rules. People will qualify for a PRC if they meet the general requirements, and have held a work permit, other than as an unskilled worker, or a residence permit, or have been in the Islands under Section 9, ie as a Government worker for ten years or more. Anyone who has held a work permit as an unskilled worker for ten years or more by 10th September 2012 will also be able to qualify, but time spent as an unskilled worker will not in the future satisfy any qualification for a PRC. The fees for all these PRCs will be $10,000.00.
• PRC will also be available to young people who are endorsed on their parents' PRC when they turn 18; to young people who arrived in the Islands before the age of five, and who have been through primary and secondary education here before 10th September 2012; and to people who have been married to a Belonger for five years or more, where the Belonger spouse has died. The fees for these PRCs will be $5,000.00.
• Apart from those who qualify on the basis of having held a Residence Permit, PRC holders will have unrestricted permission to work. The provision in Schedule 8 for an "anniversary" fee to be paid by PRC holders, with limited permission to work, has also been removed. That provision has never been consistently applied.
• All applicants for a PRC will need to show that they have a sound knowledge of the English language and of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The TCI Community College will be involved in the arrangements for tuition and testing: more details of this policy will be issued in advance.
Separate from the amendments to the Immigration Ordinance and Regulations, the Ministry will be bringing forward new British Nationality Fees regulations shortly, to increase the naturalisation fees to $1,000.00 and the registration fees to $500.00.
Grenada opposition leader slams government property purchase
Opposition leader, Dr Keith Mitchell, has described the Grenada government’s recent purchase of property, at a cost of $2 million, as inappropriate, untimely and irresponsible, particularly in light of the difficulties the government has been experiencing in meeting its financial obligations, including paying public servants, on time and in a period in which many of the vulnerable and the growing numbers of the unemployed are struggling to make ends meet.
In addition, Mitchell pointed out that this $2 million should have been used to provide some financing to Grenada Authority for the Regulation of Financial Institutions (GARFIN), instead of government attempting to impose further burden on insurance policy holders at this time.
The opposition leader has drawn attention to the fact that this is taking place when the entire country is going through trying times, when businesses are closing or sending workers home, when the new secondary school and T.A. Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) graduates have very little hope of finding rewarding jobs, and when the hotel and manufacturing sectors are crying out for rescue.
He said that for the government to decide to spend $2 million on the purchase of property in such a difficult time is a demonstration of poor financial management and a total lack of concern for the peoples’ plight and the country’s future.
According to Mitchell, “To use scarce resources to purchase property rather than directing it towards meeting the pressing needs of government workers and the poor, or stimulating the economy, at this time of unprecedented economic, financial and social problems is unconscionable as it is unforgivable.”
Mitchell called on the government to listen to the cry of the people, and to implement the measures that are urgently required to turn the economy around and bring much needed relief to the Grenadian people.
Until such time, he says, all purchases of property or other such wasteful spending should be suspended.
Caribbean News Now
IMF completes second review of St Kitts-Nevis, disburses US$4.83 million
The Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday its executive board has completed the second review of St Kitts and Nevis’ economic performance under a programme supported by a 36-month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA).
In a statement, the IMF said the completion of the review allows the immediate disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 3.161 million (about US$4.83 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 36.781 million (about US$56.21 million).
The executive board said it has also approved a request for waivers of applicability for three end-March 2012 performance criteria. These waivers were necessary because the executive board meeting was scheduled to take place after end-March but before the data for the overall balance of the central government, the central government budget expenditure arrears, and the stock of short-term external debt becomes available.
The SBA was approved on July 27, 2011, for an amount equivalent to SDR 52.51 million (about US$80.25 million), or 590 percent of St Kitts and Nevis’ IMF quota.
Guyanese charged for malpractice - police seize equipment
Guyanese National, Howard Earl has been charged for allegedly practicing medicine in St.Lucia without a proper license and not being a registered medical practitioner.
The office he used to practise his illegal activities have been closed by police and all the equipment at the location has been confiscated.
Law Enforcement officials also shutdown a number of other clinics and medical businesses operated by the defendant.
He was granted $5000 dollar bail or suitable surety on each charge when he made his first court appearance on Tuesday morning.
HTS
6-year old crushed by car
A six year old lad is dead and police have begun their investigations into the circumstances leading to his death.
Reports are that the boy was crushed by a car which was under repairs by his step-father.
A police release said about 10:45AM Ajay Suraj wass in the company of his stepfather Maheshwar Sookram who was carrying out repairs to a motor vehicle which was jacked-up at the time.
The vehicle is reported to have slipped of the jack and crushed Suraj .
He was pronounced Dead on arrival at hospital.
Romney Begins Overseas Tour as Obama Pledges to Reduce Gun Violence
U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney will meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London Thursday as he begins a three-nation tour aimed at boosting his foreign policy credentials.
The presumptive Republican Party nominee arrived in the British capital Wednesday for talks with Mr. Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and former prime minister Tony Blair. Romney will also make an appearance at Friday's opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympic Games, before traveling to Israel and Poland.
Romney is facing criticism about a recent story in the British Daily Telegraph which quotes an unidentified Romney adviser that Mr. Obama, the first black U.S. president, did not fully appreciate the shared “Anglo-Saxon heritage” that underscores the relationship between the United States and Britain. Vice President Joe Biden called the remarks “a disturbing start” to Romney's trip.
In an interview with NBC News, Romney said the two nations share “a very common bond” and that he believes President Obama shares this view.
The president traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, Wednesday to address a gathering of the National Urban League, a prominent African American civil rights and economic advocacy group.,
He discussed the recent mass shooting spree in Aurora, Colorado, where 12 people were killed and 58 others wounded when a gunman opened fire at a movie theater last Friday.
“I, like most Americans, believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to bear arms. I think we recognize the traditions of gun ownership that passed on from generation to generation, that hunting and shooting are part of a cherished national heritage. But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals. That they belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities.”
Mr. Obama says methods to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from purchasing weapons, such as background checks, should not be controversial, but instead “should be common sense.”
Also on Wednesday, the commission that oversees presidential debates announced three of them will take place in October at the University of Colorado in Denver; Center College in Danville, Kentucky; and Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. The lone vice presidential debate will also take place in October, at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.
Blast Kills 5 in NW Pakistan
Officials in northwestern Pakistan say a bomb has exploded in a busy market, killing at least five people.
The blast happened Thursday in Salarzai, an area of the Bajur tribal district near the Afghan border.
No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack, which also wounded at least 11 people.
The Pakistani Taliban has a history of attacks in the area.
Authorities: Mass Shooting Suspect Sent Package Describing an Attack
Law enforcement officials say the suspect in Friday's mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater sent a package to a university psychiatrist containing a notebook describing an attack.
The package, which reportedly included stick figure drawings of a gunman shooting people, was sent before the shootings. The exact date is unknown.
The University of Colorado Denver said the postal service delivered a suspicious package Monday, which was turned over to authorities within hours.
Holmes was a Ph.D. student in neuroscience at the university before dropping out of the program last month.
Prosecutors expect to formally charge Holmes on July 30, and he could face the death penalty if convicted.
The July 20 shooting killed 12 people and wounded 58 others.
Meanwhile, the first funeral was held Wednesday in the wake of the shooting. Gordon Cowden, who was 51, was the oldest of the victims.
Syrian Activists: Battles Continue in Aleppo, Hama
Syrian opposition activists say clashes between rebels and government forces continue in the country's largest city, Aleppo, and in several other areas that have been key sites in the 16-month anti-government uprising.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported shelling in several Aleppo neighborhoods Thursday that killed a girl and wounded seven other people.
It also said deadly clashes were taking place in the cities of Hama and in Deir Ezzor province, as well as explosions targeting military vehicles in Idlib.
Activists say the government has used attack helicopter and tanks during several days of fighting in Aleppo. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday those reported tactics are a sign of the depths of depravity of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Also Wednesday, Arab diplomats said they are preparing to bring a Syria resolution to the United Nations General Assembly. The measure would likely mention Syria's statements earlier this week regarding the possible use of chemical weapons against foreign attackers.
U.N. General Assembly resolutions are non-binding and cannot be vetoed. Russia and China have vetoed three U.N. Security Council resolutions on Syria.
TCI Baptist Union Churches travels to Jamaica
20 Youths and Youth Leaders from TCI Baptist Union Churches traveled to Jamaica for the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship 9th Youth Festival. This Festival is being held from July 25th to July 29th, 2012 under the Them "Sold Out: Fully His". This Festival happens every three years and was last held in the Bahamas in 2009. TCI enjoyed a representation of 42 strong.
The delegation is again led by Sharlene Cartwright Robinson, Director of the TCI Baptist Union's Youth Department and CBF Youth Department's Northern Youth Director. Robinson says that "we will be leading and participating a number of the activities on Program including leading family groups, Bible Studies and Workshops. The delegates will participate in the Festival Choir and showcase TCI Culture. We are half the size of our delegation that attended three years ago but we will represent God, our Union and our country well".
Of great excitement this time for TCI's delegation is the fact that for the first time a TCI Pastor would be conducting the daily Bible Studies. Rev Pedro Williams, Immediate Past President for the Baptist Union of Churches has been charged with this responsibilty. "We are proud of this opportunity to have TCI showcased in this manner. I know that Rev Williams will connect with the hundreds of delegates and they will be blessed".
The Festival will end of Sunday and Robinson's three year Directorship would end but she has been officially nominated for President and expects to be named into this office during the Closing Ceremony.