Citizenship Ministry aims to protect Guyana from unskilled immigrants

Mar 17, 2018 News

also sets polices to give locals first jump

By Abena Rockcliffe-Campbell

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix

It was Trinidadian economist, Dr. Roger Hosein who said that Guyana will need a much larger population in order to develop. He said, however, that it is imperative that the policy makers move quickly to set deterrents for unskilled immigrants who may end up being a burden to the nation.

Yesterday, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix said that Guyana is already moving in that direction. He said that the current state of affairs is that all persons coming to work in the industry must be fully sponsored by the oil company they wish to work with.

“Now when the oil starts pumping it’s another story,” said Felix.

He said that it is already being envisaged that there will be an influx of foreigners.

Felix posited that by that stage there will be stricter requirements.

“We will require a certificate of character, proof of proper health condition and qualifications for the job to the company’s satisfaction etc…Companies must have proper due diligence to ensure that the intended employees are fit and qualified for the job,” said Felix.

Felix also pointed out that in addition, all companies will have to advertise the available jobs in the local press before approval is given for expatriates.

“We want to ensure that they publish in Guyana’s newspaper that these jobs are available, so that Guyanese can get first jump to apply. Some of the measures I am telling you about are already in place. We ask for newspaper publications, but we notice that people might hardly see some of the advertisements and application notices that are in really fine print.”

Felix said that efforts to give Guyanese first jump are also tempered by realizations that most of the required skills are not available here.

“I have been dealing with many applications, and you see people coming from the Philippines, Venezuela, United States and Trinidad…we do not have the skills here.

Dr. Hosein had said that in order to facilitate the development of the oil industry and the support infrastructure in the other sectors of the Guyanese economy, the country will need a significant inflow of foreign workers.

He said that while foreign workers are needed, the Guyana government has to be wary not to attract or allow the wrong set of foreigners to enter the country to live.

Dr. Hosein said that without proper immigration policies, “what could happen is that people without the right type of skills can flow into Guyana and in so doing, become a burden on the state’s servicing sector.” He continued, “The policy makers would want to act urgently to put various measures in place to set the Guyanese economy on the right path to ensure that it is ready for the pending economic boom.”

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