By Robert A. Emmanuel
Over the weekend, the government of Antigua and Barbuda announced it was eliminating the work permit requirements for Caricom nationals and nationals of the Dominican Republic which took effect January 1, 2023.
In a press release, the government said that the new measure applies to Caricom nationals “gainfully employed … consistent with its obligations under Articles 45 and 46, clauses 2 (iii) and 3 of the Caricom Treaty [of Chaguaramas].”
The elimination of work permits for people from the Dominican Republic was, according to the statement, “in keeping with Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to the economic integration of the Caribbean region”.
The government said that the decision was in connection with its decision to waive all unpaid work permit fees, up to 31 December 2022.
However, the surprise announcement made during the height of an election cycle came after the Political Leader United Progressive Party (UPP), Harold Lovell, announced political rally on Thursday that his party would make a similar policy change if it were elected to office.
The UPP’s “One Caribbean” policy was announced at the turn of the new year, promising “work permits for nationals of Caricom and Dominican Republic to be replaced by the One Caribbean Employment stamp which will be transferrable” across the same industry and job class.
The UPP made a similar proposal in 2017 as they announced industry-centred work permits for Caricom nationals which Labour Minister Steadroy Benjamin dismissed, at the time, as impractical for a small island economy.
According to the Treaty of Chaguaramas, citizens of Caricom countries can move freely across Caricom “jurisdictions without harassment or the imposition of impediments” including “the elimination of the requirement for work permits for Community nationals seeking approved employment in their jurisdictions.”
Meanwhile, the government’s announcement was welcomed by the opposition party, as the UPP, in an official statement stated that Lovell was “gratified” after hearing the news.
“Its adoption by the Labour Party Government is accepted by the UPP as validation of its Political Leader’s vision and ideas and proof that it is the UPP who is poised to take this country to an elevated level,” the press release read.
“It proves, as well, that the UPP’s policies will not bankrupt the country since the Browne Administration already has adopted our proposals on fuel-price reductions and a revision of the minimum wage.”
The UPP press release, however, highlighted its concerns over the work permit’s implementation, especially during the election season.
“The memories of how the non-national community was used in previous elections—only to be deprived of the six-month work-permit waiver promised in 2014 and then rewarded with a hike in work-permit and Extension-Form fees after 2018—have not faded,” the UPP claimed.
In 2019, Foreign Affairs Minister, Paul “Chet” Greene sought to extend Antigua and Barbuda’s exclusion from implementing a Caricom decision to add beauticians, barbers, security officers and agricultural workers to the existing list of persons able to freely move under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).
The other categories include media workers, university graduates, nurses, teachers, artistes, musicians, sportspersons, Artisans with a Caribbean Vocational Qualification and Holders of Associate degrees or comparable qualification.
Caricom agreed to grant both St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda a five-year deferral as Foreign Minister Greene argued at the time there was already a large number of Caricom nationals residing in the country.