Bridgetown.
The Government of Barbados will not being the route of an economic citizenship programme which give citizenship to foreigners who can afford it.
This was made clear by Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Harry Husbands, speaking at the first citizenship induction ceremony held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Conference Centre, Husbands said; "We thought about it and we decided long ago not to go that way, a Barbadian passport is not for sale."
He acknowledge that special entry permits could be obtained by wealthy people who want to live in Barbados. Husbands stressed they did not receive the same rights as citizens.
"We are making special arrangements to accommodate all of these requests that we have but it is definitely not an economic citizenship programme", Husband said.
"If you are here on a special entry permit it allows you to come and go as a resident, you come and go as a resident but you are not a citizen of Barbados", he added.
During yesterday's ceremony, 120 new Barbadians took an oath of allegiance before acting Governor General Elliott Belgrave.
Husbands said the first time event which came against the background of criticism of Barbados' tough immigration stance, was Government's way of publicly welcoming the new citizens and demonstrating Barbados' openness.
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