USVU pushes for freedom of movement within CARICOM

Tue Nov 05, 2013

Editor: Freedom of movement is being advocated by two heads of government in the region – one from a US territory and the other from an independent OECS and CARICOM state.{{more}}

The Governor of the US Virgin Islands, John de Jongh, in a rather surprising and unprecedented move, is moving for CARICOM nationals to visit the USVI “without having to go through visa requirements”. de Jongh, who is in his second term in office, said that “we spoke to the Committee in the House and the Senate and we spoke to US Department of Homeland Security to come up with a regime which they would feel comfortable with for countries within CARICOM and they agreed with it.”

He added “We have written the bill, we have submitted legislation… so are just looking for the right vehicle for it to pass” he said, adding that “we recognize … the region represents a tremendous opportunity for the traffic that goes back and forth and we would like to have an opportunity to participate without being overburdened with some of the regulations.”

The USVI will be the venue for the next State of the Industry Conference (STOIC) conference in October 2014 and de Jongh said he hoped it would encourage more visitors to his territory that is already on a campaign to lure more visitors.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, a strong voice in the OECS and CARICOM, wants Martinique to be an associate member of the OECS. He indicated that there are several areas of functional co-operation between the French territory and the OECS, including education, health, trade, and moreso, equity participation in LIAT.

Dr Gonsalves, who visited Martinique recently, said that travel arrangement is now enjoyed by citizens of Dominica and St Lucia to visit Martinique and should be extended to all CARICOM nationals.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has recently made a ruling for the free movement of CARICOM nationals in keeping with the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Immigration officers in Barbados and, to a lesser extent, Trinidad and Tobago have been giving nationals from Jamaica and Guyana a difficult time when they seek entry into their countries.

Oscar Ramjeet