The House of Assembly is considering a bill aimed at clarifying the path to belongership and otherwise cleaning up an act passed last May.
After amending the order paper to allow for the second and third readings of the Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley explained the proposed law on Tuesday.
“This bill builds on the progress we made in 2024 and addresses several key areas that require attention,” Mr. Wheatley explained. “For example, we are clarifying the definition of ‘ordinarily resident’ to ensure that it is applied consistently throughout the Immigration and Passport Act.
“We are also clarifying recently introduced requirements for attaining belonger status, which will help to ensure that those who seek to become a part of our territory are truly committed to the territory and its people. Additional consequential amendments have also been made to tidy areas of the act that would have been unintended ramifications.”
One proposed change would amend section 16 of the Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Act, 2024, which had the “unintended consequence of lengthening the period of being ordinarily resident in the territory for belonger status to an effective 30 years,” according to the “objects and reasons” section of the bill, which was Gazetted on April 15.
Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn described this provision as the “crux” of the proposed bill.
He also spoke in support of an amendment that aims to give immigration officers medical care at the government’s expense — as well as funeral allowances if an officer dies while in the service of the department. He added, however, that these benefits should be given uniformly to other law-enforcement officers as well, perhaps through a separate bill.
Other House members on both the government and opposition sides supported the amendment. Opposition members Stacy Mather (R-at large), Mitch Turnbull (R-D2) and Marlon Penn (R-D8) also spoke during the debate.
Government-side contributors included Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, Tourism and Culture Junior Minister Luce Hodge-Smith, Health and Social Development Minister Vincent Wheatley, Deputy Speaker Karl Dawson, Financial Services and Economic Development Junior Minister Lorna Smith, and Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer.
On Tuesday evening, the HOA entered a closed-door committee session to privately discuss the bill. The HOA meeting is scheduled to resume today with members still in committee.
British Caribbean News