(Barbados nation) – There is a backlog of up to 6,000 Caribbean nationals seeking immigrant status in Barbados.

And to clear up the backlog, up to five review panels will have to be established.
This was revealed on Tuesday night by Prime Minister David Thompson during a nationally televised press conference from his official residence, Ilaro Court.

According to Thompson, the backlog was largely the fault of the previous Owen Arthur Administration which had failed to take decisive measures to address the issue.
“Most of these applications are old . . . and no action was taken,” he said.

The Prime Minister was responding to queries concerning government’s new immigration policy giving Caribbean nationals up to December to regularise this status.

In this regard, he acknowledged that the six-month amnesty had been criticised in some quarters, but stressed that while government remained committed to the free movement of Caricom nationals, that Barbados had “to redesign” the commitments previously given.

He said he had made this clear at the last Heads of Government conference in Guyana where it was announced that a new and comprehensive immigration policy would soon be ready for circulation across the region.

He explained that Barba-dos had no choice but to regulate its immigration policy since the social services simply could not cope with a flood of immigrants.

Thompson also touched on the issue of the treatment of non-nationals who were hustled off to the airport for deportation if it was found that they were here illegally.
To this end, he said a special committee, chaired by prominent lawyer, Keith Simmons QC, had been set up to investigate any complaints that might be made.

“But having said all of this, I just want to make it clear that the position that I previously outlined regarding our immigration policy remains the same,” he told reporters.