BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federal Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has granted a 90-day amnesty to CARICOM nationals who have not regularised their status.
A release from the Ministry of National Security sent by the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary stated that Cabinet had agreed to grant the amnesty, which would include all undocumented persons and those who would have lapsed in keeping their status current.
“The amnesty therefore enables CARICOM Nationals to regularise their status regarding outstanding payments for Work Permits. The amnesty also applies to illegal CARICOM Nationals who have no criminal record,” the release read.
It also stated that under the amnesty, outstanding payments for years prior to 2015 would be waived.
All undocumented persons and those who have not upkept their status are asked to visit the Secretariat of the Ministry of National Security from Monday, July 20, 2015 to Friday, October 20, 2015 to make the required payment for this year.
Applicants are required to take along their passports when visiting the Secretariat.
This is the second time in as many years that CARICOM nationals have been granted amnesty by the Federal Government.
The first was done by the then St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Government in late 2013.
And on Nevis, since the tri-party coalition Team Unity came into office, the Concerned Citizens Movement-led Nevis Island Administration had also granted amnesty to those individuals who had lapsed in regularizing their status.
That Administration had also offered a three-month amnesty and had reduced the fee for Work Permit by $500 for that period.
On Sunday, May 17, 2015, while addressing a group of Guyanese, who were celebrating Guyana’s coalition parties’ victory at the May 11 General and Regional Elections, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris had announced that amnesty was granted to some residents in the Federation who had not regularise their status.
Dr. Harris made reference to the Throne Speech made by Acting Governor-General S. W. Tapley Seaton Q.C. at the Ceremonial Opening of Parliament since the Team Unity Government took office.
“If you had listened to the Throne Speech last Thursday, you would have heard it said that we are going to give a real amnesty to the people of Guyana, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic who were in arrears in terms of their payments to regularise their status here. And we know how tough it is for you to pay $2 500. Imagine when you have to pay that for five years, for 10 years! And we say all of that back arrears that had been building up and accumulating to a position where you know you will never be able to pay, we in Team Unity offered you a fresh start, we forget everything of the past and we move forward with the present.”
Prime Minister Harris had declared then that the amnesty would end in September of this year.
“That is the amnesty! And we say we give you an opportunity up until September to be able to come and to pay and your records will be cleared, notwithstanding however long you would not have paid. Once you pay up for 2015 you are in good standing. Once you become current, this year by September, then you are ready to go.
“We say that we will ensure that the policies that we apply would be helpfully and beneficially pursued by all the non-nationals and all the residents here. And we hope that you will take advantage, you will call your friends and they can take advantage. We know many people have been here for 14 long years…many of them would say to you, well their passports not up to date so they can’t go to pursue their citizenship, we now give you a fresh start with that.”
