The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday concluded a two-day workshop aimed at reviewing Guyana’s immigration policy with a view to accommodating “the evolving demands of globalization”, attracting investors and preserving national safety.
Government through the Citizen’s Security Programme (CSP) contracted Trevor Hamilton and Associates to undertake the consultancy, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
The consultants compared local immigration policy with those in the Caribbean and met with national stakeholders to generate recommendations.
Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee told the workshop that while existing immigration laws and procedures have served the country well, the demands of globalization such as the increase in the movement of people across national borders, new initiatives such as the Caricom Single Market and Economy and emerging social issues such as Trafficking in Persons, drug trafficking and the movement of fugitives and terrorists “amplified the need for more systemic changes in policy and legislative framework.”
He said the revision is expected to strengthen existing laws and modernise institutions and practices to bolster Guyana’s standing as a sound place for investment. Rohee said a critical objective of immigration policy reform is to develop lucid national immigration guidelines that will facilitate migration that is supportive of the country’s economic and social needs, while at the same time preserving national safety. He also said the new policy will address five major issues including supporting economic and social development, providing balanced and enhanced border control for national safety, facilitating management of labour migration and embracing and fulfilling the international, hemispheric and regional commitments.
According to GINA the expected outcome of this process is “to arrive at a policy that is founded on the principles of equity, transparency and increased accountability and to strike an appropriate balance between protecting the legitimate rights and expectations of migrants with the need to preserve the interest of … citizens.”
Coordinator of the CSP Khemraj Rai in his brief remarks said the workshop is a component of the ministry’s modernisation programme. Earlier in the year, Rohee had said that the main focus in 2010 will be the completion of the IDB-funded US$22M CSP to engage police and residents in the fight against crime.
