Obtaining a visa from the Civil Registry and Passport Office, a Department under the Governor’s portfolio, can turn out to be a headache for some. Photo: GIS.

Mrs Tashi O'Flaherty-Maduro is the current Registrar General at the Civil Registry and Passport Office. The office has come under criticism for its lengthy delays in processing visas. Photo: GIS/File

List of countries that require visas to enter the Virgin Islands. Photo: GIS

For years, the public has complained, with legitimate reasons, over long delays in obtaining a work permit and immigration clearance. This has killed many small businesses.

Now comes yet another bureaucratic headache for businesses and families: Obtaining a visa from the Civil Registry and Passport Office, a Department under the Governor’s portfolio.

The VI, because of its colonial status, has to comply with the request imposed by the United Kingdom to acknowledge a list of countries that require a visa in order to visit or work in the Territory.

Up to 6 months visa delays?

This means if you are bringing an employee from a country that needs a visa, once your work permit and immigration clearance are approved and paid for, comes another hurdle: The timely processing of a visa by the Civil Registry and Passport Office.  

Many businesses, speaking to our newsroom on condition of anonymity, said the long process has contributed to them not getting their workers to the Territory on time and the prospective employees most often go elsewhere. There is even one case where a visa request took 7 months to process, only to be told it was not approved.

Others request visas to have family and friends visit the VI, but that too takes months to be approved, and most often the family member’s vacation time in their home country would have expired. There is also a dangerous mindset that some do not see persons from certain countries (Africa, Asia, Latin America) as tourists contributing to our economy, while others from European countries get easy access.

Are they short-staffed?

While it is reported that the Civil Registry and Passport Office is short-staffed (a summer/Christmas intern helped with visa backlog) and the application volumes can be high, a new complex security process has also contributed to the long delays, according to an insider speaking to our News Centre.

The lengthy visa delays have become a serious issue as they are now contributing to the financial hardships of businesses that cannot get employees on time, or families who cannot get their loved ones to spend a vacation in the VI.

There are also concerns that Caribbean countries are subjected to visa requirements- countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

It is unclear what the Governor’s Group will do to address these new challenges with long visa delays, but if it continues, according to economic experts, the VI will not remain competitive in this new global economy.