Immigration Chief not changing mind about resigning

The Cabinet will be pushing to have a new Chief Immigration Officer in place by at least the end of October because Annette Mark has said she will leave the post on the 15th of that month as planned, despite feeling “honoured” that the Prime Minister wants her to stay on.
Mark handed in her resignation letter on July 10, citing personal reasons, four and a half months before her two year contract was due to expire on November 30.
She told OBSERVER media Wednesday that it’s more than likely she would relocate from Antigua but declined to divulge her plans.
The outgoing head said she wants to be part of the process of choosing her successor, in order to “make sure the right person is there”.
“I am having discussions with the minister on it,” Mark added.
She is confident the position can be filled “in house” based on the talent that is in the Immigration department. “But I am not sure what they will do,” the chief said.
Mark does not have a deputy chief immigration officer. The position has been vacant since 2007 and she has recommended that one be appointed. Minister of Immigration Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez has said this will be done “hopefully” by October.
He and Mark’s seemingly cordial working relationship was blemished, by what eventually became a very public falling out in August 2016, when she refused to rehire five immigration officers as Fernandez had ordered.
Since that war of words, rumours were rife that the Cabinet planned to fire Mark or that she had resigned.
When Fernandez confirmed in mid-July the immigration chief’s intention to resign, he also said that there was never any intention to fire her.