Law-Abiding Residents not the target, assures Border Services Minister

By Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, June 5, 2023 – Residents of the Turks and Caicos are being reassured that no one with legitimate applications for status will be affected by Operation PURSUIT.

“No person with renewal of residency permits or work permits will be swept up pending it was submitted within the 3 months prior to the expiration date,” said Arlington Musgrove, Minister of Immigration and Border Services.

Our news team spoke to the minister Tuesday afternoon via phone relaying to him fears by some residents, who have yet to receive their documents from the Government despite applying on time, that they would end up on the wrong side of the law.

Musgrove allayed those fears and admitted that he was aware of the issue with slow processing.

“I recognize the impact of lengthy timelines being placed on documents processed within the Public Service and my ministry is no exception,” he continued, “The public can be assured that as their minister, I am working closely with my ministry to reduce the processing times of all applications under my remit.”

He also says the ministry is working on making the process less arduous and the Government is now pumping money into making sure that the system is improved and documents get turned out faster.

“In coming into this ministry, I placed a high emphasis on creating greater efficiency through process reforms, the reduction of unnecessary paperwork and the addition of electronic systems where practical.”  He continued, “To ensure that customer service is maintained at a high level, a Customer Service Charter has been requested from each department which will guide the day-to-day activities and ensure efficient processing time frames are maintained.”

He urged residents to do their part to make the system run smoothly as well.

“There will from time to time be applications that require additional information and this will be requested by the relevant department.  The public is being asked to kindly comply with these requests as they are necessary for the completeness of the application review.”

Operation PURSUIT was launched on May 23rd and will target those who are living in the Turks and Caicos illegally while protecting the country’s borders.