Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit. Photo: Facebook

Earlier this month, reports of an additional 36 countries including four eastern Caribbean nations, to be banned from entering the US have been cause for concern among the small nations. St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica were the four Eastern Caribbean countries on the list of a leaked document from the Trump Administration.

Skerrit, at a press conference on Monday morning said there is no need to be concerned over the reports. While no official communication has been received from the US authorities, the Prime Minister said the government was proactively engaging with relevant parties to ascertain the facts and address any issues diplomatically.

“I assure the people of Dominica that we take the matter seriously. And the government is addressing this through appropriate diplomatic channels. So, Dominicans who are in possession of a US visa and have legitimate reasons to travel to the United States can do so, whether on business, study or vacation,” he said.

“We are committed to protecting our national interests, the integrity of our international partnerships and most importantly, the rights and freedoms of the Dominican people. We are prepared to address the concerns raised by our international partners through appropriate diplomatic and cooperative means,” Skerrit said further.

The Dominica leader highlighted concerns raised by the US, including illegal migration and aspects of Dominica’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme saying he is working in conjunction with other OECS territories with CBI programmes to establish a uniform regulatory framework for the CBI programme, including a ban on name changes for applicants.

“We met over the weekend as heads of government of these countries, and we’ve made it very clear that part of the provisions of the legislation is there will be a complete ban on the ability of any applicant to change their names. So, once you become a citizen under the programme, you will not have the ability to change your names at all or continue to benefit from the citizenship of our countries,” the Prime Minister said.

He urged Dominican citizens to respect US immigration rules, avoid overstaying their visas, and advised those undocumented to seek assistance from US authorities to return home.