Despite a government waiver implemented shortly before the January 18 general election, concerns are arising regarding Caricom and Dominican Republic nationals still being asked to pay for work permits.
The implementation of the waiver was initially delayed until May 1 due to labor market and border security concerns, and it is yet to be officially passed by Parliament.
However, the Labour Minister clarified that the waivers took effect on January 1, and anyone with a Caricom or Dominican Republic passport is now exempt from work permit fees.The forthcoming legislation will be retroactive and applied to those who were gainfully employed in January.There are no plans to extend the waivers to Caricom passport-holders arriving after January. (OBSERVER)
