GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat Monday said that four member countries — Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines — are on track to implement the free movement among themselves from October 1, this year.

“By implementing the full free movement regime, these four countries have agreed to grant their nationals the right to enter, leave and re-enter, move freely, reside, work and remain indefinitely in the receiving member state, without the need for a work or residency permit,” the secretariat said.

It said that the nationals of these countries will also be able to access emergency and primary health care, and public primary and secondary education, within the means of the receiving member state.

The move by the four Caribbean countries is in keeping with a decision by Caricom leaders at their summit held in Jamaica in July this year and forms part of the overall objective of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) which is aimed at allowing for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the member countries.

The Caricom Secretariat said that representatives from the four member states have been meeting and working to ensure the required measures to support the full free movement of their nationals will be undertaken and commence on October 1 this year.

“This free movement arrangement falls within the new Enhanced Cooperation Chapter of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Under that chapter, the Conference of Caricom Heads can allow groups of at least three member states to seek to advance integration among themselves where the conference agrees that the targeted objectives cannot be attained within a reasonable period by the community as a whole.”

The secretariat said that this type of free movement expands what is offered under the CSME and is available to all Caricom nationals of the participating four countries.

“The other member states participating in the CSME will continue to operate free movement under the existing regimes (skills, services, business establishment and general facilitation of travel),” the secretariat added.