The Tribune

PROPOSED US immigration reforms could have positive implications not only for Caribbean nationals living in the US but also their home countries, a former Bahamian Cabinet minister believes. 
 “The reforms that offer a pathway to citizenship might be applicable to thousands of Caribbean nationals who have spent years living and working in the US, and might be deemed entitled to regularisation as citizens,” said former minister of state for finance Zhivargo Laing.

If successful, a bipartisan US bill, introduced by eight senators, would allow people living in the US illegally - who arrived before December 31, 2011 - to become citizens after passing background checks, obtaining jobs and paying back taxes and penalties.

The process is estimated to take 13 years. Estimates place the number of undocumented immigrants in the US at 11 million.
 Mr Laing said: “Not only will the lives and livelihoods of Caribbean nationals be changed by the immigration reform in the US, but so will their home countries, as many of them rely on the repatriation of earned US dollars to assist their foreign reserve earnings.

“For some, these remittances significantly aid economic viability.”

Mr Laing warned , though, that “with the proposed crackdown on businesses employing undocumented immigrants, large numbers of undocumented Caribbean nationals may find their work prospects curbed by more than a tentative US economy”.
 He added: “Policy changes do not have just legal consequences, but there are psychological ones as well. Any tightening of immigration law at the state level might lead businesses, educational institutions as well as medical facilities to take a more cautionary approach to dealing with foreign nationals.

“As such, Caribbean nationals who are employees and patrons of all of these institutions might find a less accommodating environment going forward.”