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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Thursday, January 15, 2009 – Two weeks into government’s amnesty for
CARICOM nationals to legalize their stay on island, the Immigration Department
is confirming that applicants are coming in to take advantage of the grace
period.
Minister for Home Affairs and National Security, Senator the Honourable
Honourable Guy Mayers has admonished those concerned to take advantage of the
three-month amnesty, which commenced on January first 2009.
“Applicants must not possess a criminal record, whether locally or externally,
they must not be deportees and applicants must have had resided continuously in
Saint Lucia for a period of not less than three years,” said the minister.
The processing of applicants is the responsibility of the Immigration
Department, an organ of the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security. The
minister warns that the full force of the law will be applied when the amnesty
ends on March 31st 2009.
“The immigration department will determine their date of arrival in Saint Lucia,
calculate the outstanding fess, the waiver fees, the granting of extension to be
effective from the date of the waiver where applicable, then the Immigration
Department will regularise their status,” he said.
The last amnesty for CARICOM non-nationals was implemented in 2006, under the
Dr. Kenny Anthony's administration.
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