The Jamaican Honorary Consul in Antigua and Barbuda, Onika Campbell-Foie, paid a courtesy call on Immigration Department for a meeting with Chief Immigration Officer (CIO), Katrina Yearwood, and her senior staff.
The meeting, at the department’s request, served as an introduction to the CIO and her staff and to give the diplomat an understanding of the workings of the department and some of the concerns as they relate to the large Jamaican community resident in Antigua and Barbuda.
CIO Yearwood congratulated the honorary consul on her appointment, and she expressed her department’s desire to resolve many of the issues of concerns regarding Jamaicans.
“The Jamaica community in the country is perhaps the largest and it is good that we now have someone with whom we can discuss the varied immigration issues that come up from time to time. Some of the laws on immigration have been updated and this information needs to be communicated not just to the Jamaicans but to every other nationality group resident here,” Yearwood stated.
Campbell-Foie, in her response, said she recognizes that the Jamaicans afforded an extension of stay are here as a courtesy and not a right and that she is willing to work along with the department to solve whatever problems may have existed in the past between the department and Jamaicans.
The meeting then went into a lengthy discussion on some of the problems with which the department has had to contend over the years. One of the main ones relates to the growing issue where minors travel from Jamaica to Antigua ostensibly in the company of a family member coming to meet a mother or father in Antigua.
“We don’t know if the person with whom the child is traveling is truly a relative, and quite often, we get reports that the parent back in Jamaica may be unaware of the fact that the child is traveling. These issues border on human-trafficking and it is something that we don’t want to encourage or to be a part of,” Senior officer in charge of headquarters, Nigel Emmanuel stated. Additionally, these children end up in the school system and therefore become a burden on the country.
Another problem deals with sports; this is where local football clubs contract Jamaicans to play in the football competition. However, at the end of the season, these players quite often remain in the country illegally as they never return to the immigration department to have their status upgraded.
After listening to the concerns and the issues, both Yearwood and Campbell-Foie agreed to meet again to further discuss the matter and to agree on a set of recommendations that would lead to solutions.
The other senior staff in attendance were the head of enforcement, including VC Bird International, Wesley Simon, head of Intelligence, Teresa Thomas and head of extensions, Donalie Hunte-Daley
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Stop those sorry a** Jamaicans from coming here and remove those that are here. We don’t want them here
@SENSIBLE I would want u to come and remove us don’t wait on them to do it seeing u see it only right to remove us .. u dumb ignorant wretch .
I agree! It’s time to deport Jamaican’s and those from DR. It’s time to put Antiguan citizens 1st! I will vote for the first political party that says they will withdraw from CARICOM and put Antiguans first in Antigua.
As a Jamaican living in antigua and now a Antiguan citizen, I will first say yes there is a problem. Yes there needs to be a regulation of foreigners coming in as there is so much a small country can burden. Second Antigua also needs educated and productive foreigners for a more industries and productive economy. Yes locals interest and wellbeing need to be priority, I do think politicians can do a better job of balancing all the above.
I do not rxpect an Antiguan like you would like us. Sounding like someone who have self hate. I pray that you will be able to love yourself so that you can love others.
IF ONLY THESE JAMAICANS & OTHER NATIONALOTIES COULD GET THIS THRU THEIR THICK SKULLS ….GIVEN AN EXTENSION OF STAY IN ANTIGUA IS A COURTESY…NOT A RIGHT….
If only you could learn to spell they would not come to take your jobs!
Go get Educated dumbas ..
Really sounding very arrogant and not exposed. Have you ever been to Jamaica?
Please go and love yourself.
IN ALL DUE RESPECT VERY CARIBBEAN NATIONALS DEPENDS ON EACH OTHER,AND A BLACK RACE,WE SHOULD ALWAYS JOIN HANDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR RACE…..
Antiguan’s do not depend on Jamaican’s or those from DR. The only Antiguan’s that depend on Jamaican’s are are prison guards, since those Antiguans need to guard the rotting Jamaican criminals that are in our jails.
@too late! Thanks to ABLP, the horse has long bolted.
Oh dnt say that…of course we depend on them…we depend on our men to get the sexual favors wednt do….we depend on them to buy bleaching creams and walk around ANTIGUA like USELESS ORNAMENTS.
I LIVE FOR THE DAY ANTIGUANS LEAVE ANTIGUA TO GO LIVE IN 3RD WORLD JAMAICAN…
What can an ANTIGUAN depend on a JAMAICAN for…they cant even speak STANDARD english…they think their better than MOST SMALL ISLANDS yet they over populated these so called small islands.Their so aggressive illerate annoying and its the poorly or non educated ones that over populate here.
Is there Jamaican doctors lawyers civil engineers…ppl that can and will ADD VALUE…
Jamaicans has NOTHING to offer ANTIGUANS not even peace of mind.
Why y’all come Jamaica to study for? And why y’all run to USA and Canada and England for? Stay in Antigua then cause some of y’all born in Antigua and will die there and Neva even accomplish half of what alot of Jamaicans come and accomplish in half the time
You are one big jackass. This is what we Jamaicans have to deal with here. There are good Antiguans and then there are the illiterate ones like you.
Sensible please have sense without us your treasury would be empty and where was you when antiguan like my father was leaving Antigua to work in Jamaica because we had the highest dollers in the caribbean.your so sick need help call the center you need to be quranteen
I agree with you jamabtiguan. A lot of Antiguans run to America to make their babies…,I wouldn’t even say why..
But some of the same Antiguans do not appreciate other nationalities making babies and live here ..just damn selfish if u ask me.
It’s about time blacks stop fighting down blacks. If we don’t love ourselves how will others even like us???
Where was you all when your politician was studying at Norman Manley law school in jamaica . You was all busy going to America to have children.its time for us to remove hate from our mind and think with a clean heart and a pure mind
Mr Langley they have no hand and no heart
Sensible my ass, you mean dunce.. 3/4 of y’all talking rubbish aren’t even Antiguan by birth, which mean that you’re a fking foreigners just the same.. I do agree that ppl should respect wherever they reside, but that doesn’t give U a right to TRY walk on someone because of their nationality..
Some of you Antigua people dunce and stupid!! We are one Caribbean and if you all you don’t just hate Jamaicans you hate everyone not born in Antigua except white people which are killing off our black people but again I don’t expect better cause some of you Caribbean people don’t even know y’all history and feel the island belong to y’all only
They don’t even like themselves, that’s just sad.
Jamaican’s and DR’s are creating waves of crime in Antigua, they also create loud music and have dirty looking cars. It is time for Antiguan’s to vote for political candidates that will change immigration policy to be more strict in our island-nation ASAP.
The only immigrants in Antigua I like are our CIP citizens, since they have education, they have money, and they are polite and respectful to others in the community.
I love it every body in mask and practicing social distancing while sitting just to get up and get as close together as possible for the photo op.
And these are the decision makers of the country.
enough said
Antigua government is a bunch of fools,all of them sleeping with jamaicans so what do Antiguans expect?
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