Immigration Minister Brent Symonette.
By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
WORK permit holders will now be fingerprinted as the Department of Immigration continues to roll out its new digital system.
Immigration Minister Brent Symonette, pictured, told The Tribune foreign nationals will be required to be fingerprinted in order to collect their new or renewed permits.
He said the government was still considering using biometric data for birth records, along with introducing limits on the number of work permits granted to an individual.
“Anytime a person requires an immigration permit,” he said, “the idea is you’ll be fingerprinted. So, if you don’t require an immigration permit, you won’t be fingerprinted for that reason. (Biometrics) we are looking at that. You got to have something at birth to prove (who you are).”
The technical term biometrics refers to the measurement and analysis of unique human characteristics, and is mainly used for identification and authentication. Common identifiers used for passports are finger scans, iris scans or digital photographs.
“It’s in process now,” Mr Symonette continued, “it’s 7,000 applications that were rolled over from the last computer system. These are the type of things – (for example) this man spent his first five years in the Bahamas, (was) taken to Haiti by his mother in 1984, he returned 19 years later illegally by boat. How do we prove he is who he is?
“He has been arrested, detained, sent to the detention centre and the story goes on.
“The onus is on the person, you can’t put the onus on the state. I can prove who I am, I got a birth certificate. When I was born the registrar physically came to the hospital and saw the mother laying in the bed with baby in hand. What happens now is PMH gives a letter saying Robin Symonette had a live birth, and you then take that piece of paper down to the registrar.”
Immigration laws are currently before retired Justice Anita Allen to be overhauled, according to Mr Symonette, who said he hoped to begin town hall forums on the hot button issue by year’s end.
“We need to look at the whole immigration issue and that’s what I’ve been saying for many years,” he said.
“First of all, length of work permits, who gets work permits. The fact some people are working two and three jobs on one work permit, which is against the law.
“When I was here last, I imposed a policy that you couldn’t get a work permit beyond 10 years, Joe Public almost kill me. They said send ‘everyone else man back, but not mine. I need mine, I’ve trained him.’ We created these problems ourselves. You go to the gas station, most of those fellows pumping gas (are on work permits). So, you trying to tell me a Bahamian can’t pump gas? No, a Bahamian doesn’t want to pump gas because possibly the pay isn’t what we want.
“So maybe what we need to do is count how many nationalities are in this country.
“Peg a number and the rest go home. In other countries, you’re only entitled to a work permit for so many years. We have people here for 20 years on work permits, and then when they hit the 20-year mark, they apply for permanent residency based on the fact they were here for 25 years. But someone had to approve them for employment for 20 years,” Mr Symonette said.
Last year, the government put revenue from immigration fees at around $45 million, and the department is expected to rake in some $65 million this year.
However, Mr Symonette argued the high volume of permits granted by the department annually was not driven by profits.
“It’s not a profit issue,” he said, “it’s not being driven by profit, no. I mean sure we raise ‘x’ millions of dollars on permit fees and I pay ‘x’ amount of dollars in immigration stuff. I wouldn’t need them if I didn’t have the permits.”
Comments
BahamaPundit 6 years, 1 month ago
The Bahamas has apparently just been wrongly blacklisted with passport selling countries: https://www.theguardian.com/business/20…
OriginalBey 6 years, 1 month ago
I love that the minister is examining the entire system and taking a holistic approach in addressing its deficiencies. Patchwork is what have us where we are now as a nation. Time for real change. 20 years on a work permit means that organizations are not living up to their commitment to train Bahamians to fill these roles over time. In two decades a company could have sent a high school graduate off to college. He or she returns with a degree and work his/her way up the ladder and own the role. That's a high school graduate. So people already two or three tiers away from the post should be able to accomplish as much in less time.
TalRussell 6 years, 1 month ago
Even the comrade minister Theodore Brent's daddy's Bay Street Boys - wouldn't had balls gone PeoplePublic - try pull off his, Minnis's, KP's and Carl Wilshire's - going all unconstitutional rouge expansion into fingerprinting.
The longer the Imperial red shirts remain governing - the closer colony islands heads become Banana state......I sure hope Her Excellency Marguerite be taking her royal notes.
Gotoutintime 6 years, 1 month ago
As long as her Excellency sits on her Throne she could care less what happens to the Country!
banker 6 years, 1 month ago
LOL to everything. Jokes. Professionals on work permits een gern wanna be fingerprinted. Tell that to the libertarian tech boyz that they want to set up in Grand Bahama. That would be a deal-killer right there since Cayman doesn't fingerprint and they already have close to 100 tech startups.
TalRussell 6 years, 1 month ago
Comrade Labour Minister Dion has lots fingerprinting catching up do - the man's didn't even know that 70% workers on site at The Pointe are foreigners.. { Can't make this up that the ministry labour have long had physical staffed office presence right inside The Pointe..... Thinking what is more needed is face recognition machine detect on site Bahamalander faces... Hey, look directly at camera and make a face like a native }.
CaptainCoon 6 years, 1 month ago
Brent showing what it means to change policies and fix the governance deficit in this country. Just like Pop, Brent should be leader of this country.
TheMadHatter 6 years, 1 month ago
Kick their butts Brent !!! Keep up the good work.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 1 month ago
LMAO. You really believe Brent is doing anything but saying what he knows you want to hear?!!
birdiestrachan 6 years, 1 month ago
it is about time he has something to say. because all we have been hearing is from "THE DRANA KING" and rights Bahamas. It seems they run things. or they will be running the Bahamas very soon.
Schemer18 6 years, 1 month ago
They know Haitians procreate more rapidly than Bahamians, they know the Bahamas' population is 377 Thousand Bahamians, they know Haiti's population is 11 Million plus Haitians. So why are they allowing illegal Haitian migrants to over populate the Bahamas, & to be "entitle" to Article #7 when they entered the country illegally? They are not "entitle" to anything, & to get this country clean up of these people, put an end to anymore work permits to these people. I do not see the reason for so many work permits, & these people knowingly have the intention to out number the Bahamians, because of their breeding careless habits. So send ALL back to Haiti who are not documented to be in the Bahamas, & it is creating a bigger black kettle, where they think it is a "rights" to sit in the country illegally, to have all kinds of illegal anchor babies.
So get real Bahamas this is the 21 century of empowerment for making the Bahamas Economy vibrant, with people who are bringing substance to the Bahamian Economy, & not to abused it like these illegal migrants.
TheMadHatter 6 years, 1 month ago
The only good thing about Haitians "taking over" the Bahamas is that in the end they will make the Bahamas just like Haiti and so, in effect, they will be right back where they started.
The same number of tourists who desire to go to Haiti to be hacked to death with a machete will be the same number who desire to come here to visit Haiti's identical twin.
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