Mia Mottley Defends Free Movement as Historic Step

Today marks a new chapter in Caribbean integration as citizens of Belize, Barbados, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines now have the right to live, work, and stay indefinitely in any of the four nations without the need for work or residency permits. While the move has received backlash from Belize’s opposition, country leaders across the nation are standing firm behind the move. This week, Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley came forward to explain the vision behind the decision, describing the development as a step rooted in history and regional ties.

 

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados

“Tonight I would like to settle what happens at our borders. I’d like to explain how we will prioritize the safety of Barbados and Bajans. I want to show why this step supports jobs, supports public services, and supports our future. I’ll also remind us that the ties among our islands are not new, not strange, and definitely not to be feared. Nationals of four countries, Barbados, Dominica. St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Belize will be able to move among these states with the right to live, to work without a work permit and to study on an indefinite basis. We call ourselves pioneers because we are put in place a regime, which I have every confidence that others in our Caribbean community will join in due course. Some of you say to me, prime Minister, we already allow six months. Yes, we have. For many years, CARICOM Nationals have been granted stay for up to six months on arrival, subject to established exceptions. In our law. It has worked, but the promise we made to ourselves in the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas was always about more than a visit. It was about allowing our people to move freely without hassle across our family of nations.”