Georgetown: The free movement initiative within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) has improved over the years, resulting in more people migrating within the region to find better opportunities.
This is according to Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who pointed out that the initiative has been one of the highlights of the community.
The Minister noted that more than often, persons misconstrued free movement to mean that anyone could move anywhere at any time.
Another major issue facing the community is the confusion with free movement and hassle-free movement, Rodrigues-Birkett said, explaining that while they are both linked, they are not the same.
The Minister said, on the one hand,there are skilled persons who are qualified for the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) Certificate, which allows them to travel to any member state under the CSME programme and work without having to apply for a work permit in those countries.
She disclosed that since this Skilled Certificate Programme was implemented in 2006, and that she has approved over 4000 applications in Guyana.
The Minister said the system seems to be working out for Caricom, since the complaints have significantly reduced over the years.
“The complaints we received were from some nationals indicating that they had to reapply in a couple of those countries… and we have raised that issue at the level of the Caricom Secretariat as well, but more recently, at least in the last year or so, we haven’t had any complaints about that,” she said.
Rodrigues-Birkett said she does not keep a record of the persons granted applications, but noted that she has approved some 40 applications from Caribbean nationals.
The Minister explained that there are several skilled professionals, such as pilots and engineers from other Caricom countries, who are working in Guyana.
“I think we have quite a healthy in-flow of people working in our country as well,” she explained.
Nevertheless, the Minister pointed out that mostly university graduates and professionals are the ones applying for the certificate, but she noted that this does not mean when they apply for the certificate, they will leave.
“Some people just apply for it to have it so if they need to go on a short-term consultancy, they have it,” she said.
The Minister stated that, contrary to popular belief, Guyana does not have a high rate of migration for teachers and nurses. In fact, she emphasised that there are minimal cases where persons from these professions apply for the CSME Certificate.
On the other hand, the Minister explained, there are unskilled persons, or those who do not qualify for the CSME Certificate, and who in some cases for whatever reasons are treated harshly at some airports.
She recalled an instance when she had travelled as a regular passenger and was stopped in Trinidad and Tobago, and had to go through a barrage of security processes, which were very fatiguing.
The Minister stated that discussions were held with the Trinidadian authorities and now there is less hassle in the process.
Rodrigues-Birkett stressed that such issues can only be dealt with if they are reported.
“In certain cases, we have intervened and we have had matters resolved,” she stated. The Minister highlighted that while most countries around the world have provided for a limitation of US$10,000 to declare, Trinidad and Tobago has a limit of only $US5000, and most persons are not aware of this.
She again referred to a case where a Guyanese had 90 per cent of his money taken away because he did not know about the declaration limit.
“You must ensure you read these forms properly… we cannot tell the Trinidadian Government to change their law, but Guyanese must be aware and in this day and age, we hope that persons, especially business people, are moving away from using cash.
“Our people must be aware of that or else they could have their monies taken away, like in a few cases,” said the Minister.
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