Having been presented with an outline of policy and recommendations for the implementation of an electronic visa system, the Ministry of Citizenship is on its way to creating a more robust, simplified, and secure visa application system for migrants.
The E-Visa Report, which was handed over to Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix yesterday by Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to Guyana Jernej Videtic, was put together through consultation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The document forms technical advice to the ministry, and will inform the way forward for the institution of the E-Visa service.
Felix described the move to implement such a system as the Ministry “seeking to harden the soft parts of the immigration system.” Although he could not yet state the anticipated timeline for implementation, Felix noted that there are key areas he is likely to focus on in the near future, but that that decision will be dependent on advice. One such area deals with the issuance of employment visas and work permits.
The Minister noted that migrants would be less drawn to territories where the immigration policy is not clearly defined and had stated that while the world continues to change, Guyana’s migration policy has not.
“How long must our immigration system be defied?” he questioned, citing occurrences where immigrants have forged documentation to gain border access. Felix also pointed out that irregular immigration patterns opens a country up to instances of human trafficking violations and transnational crimes, among other things.
Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr Karen Cummings, during her address, spoke to the health implications of migration on the population, stating that with the cases of emerging and re-emerging diseases, Guyana has to guard its frontiers and be on the alert.
“We want to ensure that in tourism there is safety and security,” Cummings stated.
Also present at the handing over ceremony were Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin, IOM Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Robert Natiello, IOM’s Programme Officer Jermaine Grant, IOM’s consultants Patricia Bell and Lucas Guedes and Immigration Department representatives Dale Alves and Ingrid Primo, who is Head of Immigration Support Services.
Grant, in providing background on the programme, stated that the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Citizenship applied to the ACP-EU’s (co-operation between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of states and the European Union) Migration Action Programme in June 2015 to improve their work visa system and implement an e-visa system
The programme, he said, is implemented by the IOM, funded by the EU, and targets ACP groups of states to provide technical assistance on visas, counter trafficking, human smuggling, remittances and re-admission.
