Work permit matter 'cannot be one size fits all' - Skelton-Cline
"It is complicated, this is a difficult issue. Immigration overall on the planet... its a difficult issue... for the government, its complicated for us as private citizens," he said on the Tuesday, August 11, 2020, episode of his 'Honestly Speaking' show on ZBVI 780 AM.
Skelton-Cline, while defending the motives of the Fahie administration, said the matter of the work permit, therefore, is not and cannot be a one size fits all mandate.
Expat vs Local conversation is wrong
Quoting Mahatma K. Gandhi, who said the enemy is fear and not hate, Mr Skelton-Cline said the undertone of this controversial conversation attempts to pit locals against expats, which he said is the wrong conversation and premise.
"While you can question the government's methodology in the initial implementation of its policy, I don't think you can question their motives."
He noted that over the years, the VI Government has demonstrated a commitment to neighbourliness and to making things right for expats who have lived in the territory, built the VI, even started families and married into the VI.
While admitting that particulars need to be worked out in this particular scenario, he said the unnecessary fighting between expats and locals, therefore, comes from a place of fear.
Categorising Permit holders
Mr Skelton-Cline further said that while both Virgin Islanders and expats have legitimate fear from different social issues in the Territory, solutions need to be had from both perspectives, starting with categorising those who hold work permits.
"There are persons right now, who have been locked out of the country on work permits, their families, their spouses, their children are still here but they are not able to get in, so what must happen?"
He said in that scenario, those situations become a moral issue as it relates to family and separation, which needs to be acknowledged and recognised.
Even wealthier expats he said, would fall into another category, for those who have invested in the Territory and own property and land.
Skelton-Clines's contention is that the Government cannot lock-out broad categories of permit owners and workers using one generalised 'paintbrush'.
He said other categories of foreigners would include business owners and even specialised medical doctors who provide much-needed service to locals in the Territory.
'Expats feel trapped' - Skelton-Cline
Further, the man of the cloth related that some expats have confided in him that they feel trapped in the VI after living for years, afraid to leave even in the case of the death of a loved one, out of fear that they cannot return.
"This matter of the work permit is a complicated one, but it's not too complicated for us as a people to have a meaningful conversation on it and to have our government make the various adjustments to ensure... that we be careful how we handle strangers."
"We have developed a country that has made expats necessary, and we should not shy away from that, nor should we be afraid of that... that is one of the things that makes the country unique," he said.
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21 Responses to “Work permit matter 'cannot be one size fits all' - Skelton-Cline”
I do hope that the Honorable Premier and other Ministers are reading these blogs to see the out cry of our brothers and sisters.
I am not sayinh yje economy or people needs to return to the bvi but hold out take your time be still andknow that thee is a God sometimes i wonder if you is areal preacher or you just takling because you know the word you need to go in a corner and pray to God to help remove this plauge from our shores and stop calling down to some extent what the Premier is doing to keep the place and YOU safe shorten your eyes sometimes and you might see better thanlooking downthe road for wha may be your own advantage please be on a low open mouth level you know what was done for you so be mindful how you roll also tell Marlonto shut up what is his plan tell him go and get the sewrage moner what was for the area which can help pay for the qurantine ofthose who you want to coe back Pico marlon and the rest of NDP need to go sit down they are most of the problems we have here one could not run his ministry the then [remier was just there on a fence the one for works only God knows and the skelton one was the only one who has some sort of sense cline you need to cool out before you help the goverment to keep the virus out you look like you want it come get your cloth andwalk trough the territory praying be an Eligha do you look at the news coming out of America check your self
1) Have work permit and work permit exemption holders apply for permitted re entry just like you did via an online portal with belongers, vi passport holders, and certificate of residency holders. Give them a limited time to register. Say two weeks.
2) Create a centralized list with all these names and vet them out according to certain criteria which I will name in point 3.
3) Go through each name, and make sure that up until the time they were in the territory, they were up to date with social security, NHI, payroll tax (not the employer's part...i am talking about the employee's part). make sure they were up to date with rent and utilities, and are not in arrears.
4) Go through each name, and make sure that as per immigration laws, they were not outside of the territory for more than 3 months as of March 2020 (except for non Covid-related medical reasons).
5) Make sure that they have a job to come back to.
6) If they do not qualify as per the above, then let the authorities do what they have to do.
I may have missed an item or two, but that's thinking off the bat. But as Mr. Skelton-Cline says, one size cannot fit all.
We all know that we have to open sometime but now is not the time, the us is full of the virus so is other Caribbean islands no tourist comes to the BVI in August or September, Its hurricane season in case you forgot, If the country don’t open in October then we can start to make some noise right now you are blowing wind
SORRY TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS H... or PROBABLY NOT!