TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands – The waiting period for a non-national to be granted Belongership status on this British Overseas territory, will be cut in half.
This announcement was made by Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley who said the Immigration Department will be using the 10-year threshold as outlined in the constitution.
In his update on the Implementation of the Recommendations Of the Commission of Inquiry in the House of Assembly earlier this week, Wheatley said the Immigration Department has, “discontinued the use of the previous response given to applicants who did not meet the 20-year requirement”.
“Cabinet committed that from 1st June, 2022, the existing legislation on residency threshold – minimum of 10 years – would be followed pending completion of the above-mentioned review,” Wheatley stated.
“A project commenced on May 29, 2022, to strengthen administrative systems within the Status Unit to be better positioned to process applications. Additionally, the board has been reviewing the processing guidelines. In the coming months, we expect to engage in discussions on the difficult, but the necessary subject of immigration reform,” he added.
The Belongership issue was brought up in the Commission of Inquiry Report where Recommendations B33 advocates a review of the existing policy and processes of granting residency and Belongership status, including the discretion by Cabinet to grant such statuses, and the number of residency years required for Belongership.
