fp Turks and Caicos

A three-month public consultation has begun to help develop a new policy for obtaining resident status in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The consultation was launched at the Nov. 17 meeting of the Consultative Forum, which heard a presentation from and made suggestions to Senior Immigration Advisor Lorraine Rogerson, Ministry of Border Control and Labour Permanent Secretary Clara Gardiner and Larry Swann.

“This is something that was long overdue,” forum Chairwoman Lillian Misick said afterward. “There is absolutely no point in not participating in this exercise and blaming the British and say, ‘Oh, the British gave us this, or they forced this upon us.’ I maintain we are in the driver’s seat in this regard, and we must do what is right.”

In addition to accepting comments via e-mail, the forum is encouraging civic, church and other groups hold meetings to discuss the proposals. They are asked to request meetings with forum members who will attend and assist by answering questions and gathering responses.

Establishing a clear pathway to obtaining citizenship as a Turks and Caicos Islander and Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) is one of the eight milestones set by the U.K. before new elections are held next year.

The forum published online a 21-page document that spells out the current processes and asks specific questions about how they should be changed and improved, but spelled out four key considerations for a fair and transparent process:

• There needs to be a whole system approach. “The rules on leave to enter and remain, on who can work and when they have to depart, and on which workers can be joined by their dependents, all need to be clearly set out, and firmly and fairly enforced, in order for there to be a fair and transparent process for the acquisition of Turks and Caicos Islander status.”
• “The migration and citizenship system needs to support a longer term strategy for the demography, economy and community cohesion of the islands.” While the strategy should be left to an elected government, the basics should be set out to provide a foundation.
• “The policies and procedures need to comply with the TCI’s international legal obligations, such as humanitarian protection, the rights of the child, and the right to a family life.”
• “The rules need to be published, and to be administered transparently, fairly and consistently.”

Questions include whether or not a points system should be used to determine islander status and to award PRCs. This approach was recommended by a 2004 Immigration Review Commission which attached points to such attributes as age, type of occupation, level of skills, level of income, country of origin, ethnicity and ability to speak and write English.

Other considerations for PRCs include time for qualification and any limits on types of workers, as well as whether the current three categories should be kept or merged into one. Currently the three classes of PRCs are those with unrestricted rights to work, the right to work for any employer and in any occupations with specific exceptions, and no right to work.

People can also express their views on using the migration and citizenship system to attract potential investors in property and business enterprises, including amounts of investment required.

The forum’s explanatory document and questionnaires about the process can be found online at www.gov.tc.

Requests for meetings with forum members, comments and other correspondence during the consultation should be e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The deadline for comments is Feb. 17.

Click here to read the forum's explanatory document

Click here to read the questionnaire