Turks and Caicos, March 30, 2017 – Providenciales – The office of the Deputy Premier and Ministry of Border Control & Employment wishes to advise the general public, and in particular the business community, that it is in the final stage of developing a new work permit management system that is designed to bring about and make changes in the submission, processing and issuance of work permits.
The key features of this new system will involve the following:
- The entry and submission of all data and supporting documents pertaining to work permit applications online by the employer or their delegate;
- The electronic approval of labour clearances and work permits and automated responses to clients when key decisions are made, and;
- The issuance of a more secure, machine readable, work permit ID card to work permit holders and dependents who are qualified to be endorsed.
When the new system is launched, employers will still be required to bring original documents to the department for verification purposes as well as to facilitate payment of the relevant fees. The final phase of modernizing the processing work permit processing will involve the ability to pay permit fees online.
In announcing this new product, the Deputy Premier and Minister for Border Control and Employment, Hon. Sean R. Astwood MP commented; “It is my government’s intention to demonstrate our full commitment to improving service delivery in all areas of my Ministry. This new system will address some of the longstanding complaints that the business community express on a regular basis, more notably, the lack of feedback, lengthy delays in the process, and the absence of identification for family members who are permitted to reside in the Islands with permit holders.”
“For staff, it will resolve the issue of tracking documents and it will serve as an important compliance tool for enforcement officers.” He concluded; “We all have a responsibility to ensure that the system yield the intended benefits – staff, employers and their agents – and ask for the support of all persons, especially during the implementation period.”
Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Clara Gardiner OBE, registered her delight that the Ministry is finally at a stage where it is able to communicate publicly, that he hard work and efforts of key project team members over the years is about to produce results. She noted that the launch of the work permit database is the first of a multi-faceted IT modernization that is taking place across all departments with the Ministry of Border Control and Employment. She further echoed assurance that in light of the implications the impending changes will have for staff, as well as business community, a series of engagements that will take place over the next few weeks with key stakeholders. There will also be postings online, leading up to and beyond the go live date which will be announced in due course.
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