Businesswoman infuriated at poor Immigration service

As of Friday, July 3, 2015

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

CEVA Seymour, operator of Regions, is so fed up and frustrated with the inefficient, slow and poor service concerning the processing of applications for naturalisation and citizenship at the Department of Immigration that she has stopped accepting further applications.

Mrs Seymour provides a service assisting people in filling out applications for passport, citizenship and naturalisation and filing proper legal documentation along with the application to the various government agencies for submission.

She said that clients for whom she has submitted applications to Bahamas Immigration have yet to receive any word or decision on the status of their application. Some have been waiting years for a response while others have learned that their documents have been lost or misplaced by the department.

According to Ms Seymour, 50 of her clients in Freeport have been affected and she has now stopped accepting any further applications.

“I have individuals who come to my office who can’t find work, even though they were born here and have a Bahamian birth certificate,” she told The Tribune. “When persons come to me and ask for my help to get their paperwork for citizenship in to Immigration, I do my part. I charge them a fee and also pay the immigration fees, but it hurts me to know that … the department is not doing its part in a timely fashion.”

Mrs Seymour said the Grand Bahama economy is sluggish and her business is dependent on the service she provides to her clients. “I am a Bahamian and I am not a foreigner; I have employees and I pay a business licence fee every year to the Grand Bahama Port Authority,” she said.

She noted that her foreign clients, for whom she has submitted similar applications on their behalf to the United States, Canada, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, Barbados and Trinidad do not experience such long delays.

“When applications are submitted to these countries, they handle them professionally and the client’s naturalisation and citizenship is granted and completed in a timely fashion,” said Mrs Seymour. “We would get a response saying the application would be completed in six months, and if it is not ready during that time, they send you a letter explaining why and will give you another date when it would be completed. None of this happens at the Bahamas Immigration.”

Mrs Seymour said she has tried contacting Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell and the Immigration Director about the situation to no avail.

“I would call, send texts and letters, and these people do not respond to you. No one responds to you – nobody. I have basically sent documents through courier service to Nassau just so they don’t get lost, and they still get lost even where persons have to sign acknowledging receipt of these documents.

“I have individuals who come to my office, they can’t find work even though they were born here and have a Bahamian birth certificate, and they cannot get renunciation from London and so we have to fill out a Form 15, which is required by Bahamian law when a person is stateless,” she explained.

“And you would send these documents up and the money for it, these people (at Bahamas Immigration) can’t find the documents. I have clients who have submitted their documents since 1970, 80s and the 90s, and the head office can’t find their documents. When I call Freeport about it, they tell you that they have sent them on to Nassau.”

She said that her clients are mainly Haitians, Jamaicans, from the Turks and Caicos and Trinidadians.

“It is unacceptable for an agency to be losing important documents that costs persons almost $300 to get from Haiti,” she said. “This year I have decided not to accept any more applications after I realised that nothing is happening,” she said.

jackbnimble 9 years, 4 months ago

“I have individuals who come to my office who can’t find work, even though they were born here and have a Bahamian birth certificate,” she told The Tribune.

Hold up. If they have a BAHAMIAN birth certificate why do they need to apply for citizenship? Proof of citizenship, to my knowledge, IS a Bahamian birth certificate of passport. If your parents are not citizens and you are born here, don't they give you a Certificate of Identity or a Belongers Permit? She sounds confused or has brought into this foolishness that being born her automatically entitles you to citizenship..

Guy 9 years, 4 months ago

Clearly you don't know what you are talking about. Research it and come back.

GrassRoot 9 years, 4 months ago

yes, it is confusing I agree, however she is right, Immigration administration needs to get whipped into shape. I bet it did no take them so long to have all the Chinese workers for Baha mar processed.

DEDDIE 9 years, 4 months ago

Proof of Bahamian citizenship is actually a passport. If you don't have a passport then you need your birth certificate and also your parents birth certificate. If your mother is single then all you need is her birth certificate but if she is married then you need the fathers(if he is a foreigner then it gets a bit more complicated).A large number of Bahamian(60 %) will have some problem proofing that they are in fact Bahamian.

Cas0072 9 years, 4 months ago

Maybe 60% of "Bahamians" will have trouble producing their parents birth certificate because their parents were born to, or are themselves, illegal immigrants. Most Bahamians can request and receive birth certificates for themselves and their parents at the same time, with no issues other than the lengthy turnaround time.

DEDDIE 9 years, 4 months ago

If your parents was born before 1960, it is quite difficult to locate a birth certificate especially if they were born in the out islands(loss records abound). The authorities then demand you produce affidavits from two persons who know your parents. As the years go by especially with dead parents it becomes "mission impossible".

Cas0072 9 years, 4 months ago

I know far too many 55+ and much older Bahamians with passports, some from the Family Islands, to accept that this dead end scenario is a common occurance. Maybe some had to go the route of producing affidavits to confirm their births and the identity of their parents, but obviously they did so in a timely manner. Any added delays and complications that applicants face from having to go about proving the nationality of their parents and/or grandparents, is really the fault of the parent(s).

TheMadHatter 9 years, 4 months ago

So why then don't they carry their hip to those other countries instead? Take a hint.

By the way, perhaps you shouldn't close your business - but instead advertise to Bahamians to get them papers for other countries. I am SURE there are LOTS of Bahamians who would pay good money (I would) to get papers for somewhere else.

TheMadHatter 9 years, 4 months ago

Just be be PERFECTLY CLEAR - if this lady can get papers straight in USA, Canada, and UK for people - she NEEDS to advertise to BAHAMIANS, instead of only the southern caribbean people.

She will get more business than she can handle. If she will do mine, I will not only pay her fee, but I will also pay for a year supply of NoDoze for her - cause she will need it to work night and day.

I could also give her no less than 50 other clients right now in the next the next ten minutes, and guarantee her another 500 clients by end of month.

LADY - please write me - securely. Don't close your business, if you really can do what you claim. You ga be rich, and da Bahamas ga be empty.

forms.hush.com/tmh

TheMadHatter

birdiestrachan 9 years, 4 months ago

there are a whole lot of people out of work. unemployment is very high and it has nothing to do with immigration.

lucaya 9 years, 4 months ago

Glad I am not the only one confused by her statements....

LanaMarie 9 years, 4 months ago

The fact that an individual has a Birth Certificate,does not make him/her a Bahamian and ccertainly not stateless. Citizenship is granted through the Constitution, Naturalization, Adoption and the like. Obviously, this business woman chose the wrong business as she needs to educate herself on the Law of the Land. If you were borne in the Bahamas after July 10, 1973, and your parents are foreign, you take on the nationality of them, and that is why your are not stateless. She seems to think that the Department of Immigration should give her the support so that her business will become profitable. Not in the Bahamas!

bigbadbob 9 years, 4 months ago

I know Ceva a great smart lady, what she is trying to say is what i see other people complaining about I know a couple who invested 4 million on a bussines in freeport applied for perminant residensy 15 years ago and have had their paypers lost 4 times appled and reapplied time after time and have recived nothing , they go into immigration every few months for years asking whats happening and they have paid the 10,000 fee nothing what a joke.

ohdrap4 9 years, 4 months ago

thye tell you wrong, you dont pay the 10,000 until the certificate is ready

TheMadHatter 9 years, 4 months ago

Don't worry - after this BahaMar thing finish destroying our international reputation (what little it was anyway) - Immigration ain't ga have no papers to lose - cause ain't no more 4-million dollar business even thinking of coming here.

Now I see Morley trying to put union at container port. So they ga be dead before long too. Even more Bahamians gonna be out of work.

Bess buy ya fishinin line before da marine store dem run out of stock.

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