Ja should impose visa restrictions on TCI islanders, says honorary consul

JAMAICA'S Honorary Consul to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Allan Hutchinson believes his country has been too slow in reciprocating the visa requirement for Turks and Caicos islanders given that Jamaicans are required to have a visa to enter the British overseas territory.

"When the visa restriction was imposed on Jamaicans, Jamaica should have reciprocated but that has not been done," Allan told the Observer.

He explained further that this is usually the general rule for a country to impose similar visa requirements when one is imposed on its nationals.

But that is not the only thing which Jamaica has been slow in doing for its approximately 5,000-strong Diaspora living in the TCI.

According to Hutchinson, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also not officially launched the consul's office, which was established in 2007 under the previous People's National Party administration or introduce it to the TCI Diaspora.

Honorary consuls are appointed by the Government in the capitals of countries or major cities where there is no resident diplomatic or career consular representation. These appointments are non-remunerative in nature.

But until that is done, Hutchinson said his office -- with its limited resources -- continues to address the increased challenges affecting Jamaicans there.

And as the TCI, currently experiencing serious economic and political instability, tightens up on the issuance of work permits in order to save the few available jobs for belongers, more Jamaicans are finding themselves living illegally in the country.

"It is sometimes very difficult for those persons without permits who have been depending on the goodwill of others," he said.

Yet there are other Jamaicans, according to Hutchinson, who paid persons to provide them with permits only to later discover that no application was submitted, resulting in their status being changed to illegal.

As such, Hutchinson issued an appeal to Jamaicans not to come to the TCI unless they go through the appropriate channels.

This appeal comes as the country -- taken over by British governance last August following a Commission of Enquiry which alleged rampant corruption under the former Michael Misick-led government -- experiences the highest unemployment rate and cost of living increase.

Hutchinson said several Jamaicans, unable to cope with the changes, have opted to return home.

Other issues affecting Jamaicans, according to Hutchinson, is the inability of children born in the TCI to Jamaican parentage to be naturalised there.

"These kids have no status here and so they have to be naturalised in Jamaica," he told the Observer.

Hutchinson said he has also been informed that many Jamaican teachers are leaving the TCI as they are no longer happy with the working conditions and new contracts they have been given.

"I have been getting several verbal complaints from teachers," he said

He said the functions of the Consulate may have been underestimated by Jamaican officials.

He said his office, in the last 12 months, had processed renewals for some 400 passports while addressing various other issues -- some of which do not fall under his portfolio.

Hutchinson and his wife --who were the seventh and eighth persons to be granted citizenship in the TCI s -- aid he opted to take on the honorary consul role given that Jamaicans were faced with a lot of problems and had no representation.

He explained that many of these persons had never travelled outside of Jamaica and didn't know what to expect on arrival.

"People go and recruit them and promise them all sorts of things and when they get here it is not delivered and when they stand up for their rights there is a problem," he said.

"Sometimes even baby mothers would contact my office to say the babyfathers living here and are not supporting the child and they wanted the help of my office to deal with that," he said.

While not having any legal authority to intervene, Hutchinson said he would still persuade the men to meet their obligations.

Several developments like this one have been stalled, forcing hundreds of permit holders and TCI islanders alike out of work. (Photos: Ingrid Brown)