( Loop) The government of the British Virgin Islands has announced that plans are being made to lift the visa requirement that is currently in place for citizens of Guyana.
This is according to Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour, and Trade, Lorna Smith who is part of a trade mission to Guyana.
“I’ve had discussions with the Premier. In fact, I’ve asked him very directly about the visa situation because Guyanese do require a visa to visit the BVI. He has authorised me to say that we are considering lifting that requirement and I expect that to happen very soon,” Smith said in an interview.
She added that the visa requirement must be lifted if the BVI wants to build stronger connections with Guyana.
“If we are serious about building a partnership with Guyana, that is the first thing that has to be lifted. So, I have no doubt that is something that will happen quickly,” she said.
With the growth of Guyana’s economy attributed to oil reserves, there have been calls for the BVI to lift visa restrictions against Guyana because of the strong ties between both countries.
Based on the 2010 Population and Housing Census report released in 2014, Guyanese nationals make up the largest portion of the immigrant population in the BVI at 7.2 per cent.
Guyanese are among a select group of Caribbean nationals — including Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica — that require visas to visit the territory.
