In a recent letter to the press, the Nassau Institute put forward observations about the government’s latest immigration policies.
In a response published in The Punch on February 16, Fred Mitchell stated that no new fees were being introduced for immigration services, there was no new policy related to permission for non-nationals to attend school, no new fees had been introduced for work permits since the PLP came to power in 2012, and the law did not require non-nationals employed by government to have a work permit.
While the latter point about foreign employees of the government only serves to emphasize the unfairness to the private sector which is required to obtain work permits for non-nationals, Mr. Mitchell’s other points should be read in conjunction with his speech at the Business Outlook conference on January 29. This made it clear that a new student permit policy was being introduced, the work permit rules were being tightened including higher fees, and residency costs were also to be increased.
Are we to assume from his most recent remarks that he now disowns and discredits his own stated policy?
