The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell has said the government is moving to improve services at the Lynden Pindling International Airport by updating the equipment used to process items such as passports and work permits.

Slow services at the LPIA have been a source of frustration for Bahamians and foreigners for years. Mr Mitchell’s comments, promising an improvement, came on Friday at the International Business and Finance Summit at the Grand Lucayan on Grand Bahama Island, an event hosted by the Bahamas Financial Services Board.

“(I am) pleased to inform that a decision is in the works by the Cabinet to order the next generation of equipment to improve dramatically passport, work permit, residency and citizenship applications, entry procedures at the border, the ability for different law enforcement agencies to talk to each other, and electronic entry at the gate in answer to complaints of processing at the border at Lynden Pindling International Airport taking too long,” he said.

He also spoke at length about the government’s ongoing efforts to reform the country’s immigration system.

He said that while the Christie Administration will not compromise on its efforts in this regard, it will seek to strike the right balance between enforcing laws and welcoming people to the country.

He forecast that a major operation would be carried out on Abaco within 60 days to help stem the tide of illegal migration there.

His comments come a week after he revealed that the government, beginning in September, will require all children of non-nationals to have a school permit in order to attend school. The move attracted much criticism.

He also revealed that additional conditions will be placed on people seeking work permits.

Regarding this, he said on Friday: “In a few months, we hope to attach conditions to the work permits which will say that if you get a work permit you also have to have health insurance for the worker and adequate housing so that no worker who comes to The Bahamas becomes a public charge.

“The Bahamas has an obligation to be sure that it knows who lives within its border and that its territory is not being used as a staging point for unlawful activity that would destabilise its neighbour.”