News
Sweeping Changes for Immigration Management in TCI, including Temp Work Permits
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, July 17, 2023 – Temporary work permits lasting anywhere from 10 days to half a year is what the Turks and Caicos Islands Government is hoping to institute, with a new set of proposed amendments to the Immigration Ordinance.
The proposal outlines these new categories which include:
- Emergency Temporary visas; these will be given to individuals in specialized fields like Pilots, mechanics, disaster management etc. These emergency permits are slated to only last for ten days but can be extended to a maximum of 30 days
- Short Term Temporary Visas – these will be for work purposes and are slated to last a maximum of six months. When they expire the Government says it will consider allowing these visa holders to transition to full term work permit holders.
New restrictions are to be placed on full term work permits as well. Currently only Self Employed Person’s and Freelancer’s work permit applications are eligible to be submitted by an employee in the TCI and all other applications must be submitted by the employer.
If the proposed amendments pass, there will be no more Freelance Work Permits and strict term limits are to be placed on other permits. For unskilled workers, they will have a maximum of 3 consecutive full terms after which they must leave the country for three months.
These new temporary work visas and business visas are to be available for purchase at the immigration counter when residents are entering the country.
The Government will open surveys for residents to consult on these decisions on Saturday July 15th and town meetings with Minister Arlington Musgrove commence, this week.