An unusually high number of new citizens are being sworn in by the Governor’s representative this week on the island of Providenciales. According to a release from the Ministry of Border Control and Labour, this was due to there being a gap of several weeks in swearing-in ceremonies due to key absences over the holidays; and
to the Ministry of Border Control and Labor continuing to make progress with clearing a backlog of old applications, some of which date back to as far as 2006, and possibly longer. The Ministry had reported to the Consultative Forum on 16th August 2011 that there were at that time 1,658 naturalization/registration applications awaiting consideration.
There has been no moratorium on such applications and they continue to be made at an average rate of 20 per week. In order to clear the backlog of old cases the Ministry currently aims to process around 40 cases per week. A full report on the cases processed this financial year, 2011/12, with a detailed breakdown of outcome, nationality and the relevant statutory provision will be published during the course of 2012. The Ministry of Border Control and Labour is reminding the public that in order to be naturalized as a British Overseas Territories Citizen, a person must have had a PRC for at least 12 months,
and should have been resident in TCI for at least five years. In practice most of the new citizens will have been resident for very many more years than that, often 20 or more. The Ministry’s release noted that acquiring British Overseas Territories Citizenship does not confer the rights and entitlement of a Belonger. “It is also important to note that applications for British Overseas Territories Citizenship are considered and processed and decided by TCIslander staff in the Ministry of Border Control and Labour,
against the requirements set out in the British nationality Act 1981, and that the Governor’s role in signing the certificates, is a formality,” the ministry’s statement noted. The paper for the Consultative Forum’s current consultation on options for a new fair and transparent process for acquisition of Turks and Caicos Islander status, sets out the ways in which
it is currently possible to qualify for PRC and for British Overseas Territories Citizenship, with an indication of the minimum length of time that it takes. The consultation process, which is being led by the Consultative Forum, invites comments from all islanders on what should be required of people in order to progress, by means of a fair and transparent process, to Turks and Caicos Islander status.
Comments can be emailed to the chair of the Consultative Forum at citizenship@gov.tc. The consultation is due to close in mid February.
