Dear Editor,
Attention!!!! I feel like the Government of Antigua and Barbuda tricked us into this amnesty gimmick.
I am in the process of my citizenship, process fee paid already and everything. Only to go immigration, they’re telling me to call Labour department to see if I’m exempt from work permits.
I have lived in this country since I was 13 yrs old , went to high school and State college and I see Africans came here in few weeks and got exempt from work permit. This is so unfair.
I am young, I don’t have all these money.
Please post!!
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The immigration department is led by a bunch of morons.
Facts
Imagine they telling me I need to right a letter to immigration letting them know my status, shouldn’t immigration know my status
Headline says “US”
letter says “I”
is this person identifying as non-binary “they/them/us”?
LMAO
These people have gall to come to Antigua making demands. If you don’t like how we do things in Antigua, go home! You’re not entitled to anything here. Antigua for Antiguans!
Mr. Byam take it easy. Remember Richard Lewis wife is Jamaican (event tho Giselle dont accept him because of his wife nationality). She is quite the lady. Moreso than giselle too
CARICOM Day coming up soon. We are ONE Caribbean not so?
Big brain drain in Antigua. People leaving so Antigua for dems who can make it.
SYM
Can Antigua stand alone. You are full of Sh**. You hate yourself.
Antigua was standing alone long before foreigners came. Go back home let’s see if Antigua falls. AH!
This backward kinda thinking is what killing this lovely Island. And Yes I am Antiguan.
I don’t give a fu*k that you’re Antiguan. The foreigners came to a standing Island, asshole!
I hope you don’t go to any other country,
U honestly felt good writing this comment
This is how you were asked to respond to their plight after you party DUPED them into assisting with winning the elections. I hope they now understand your trickery. Stinking Dirty Liars.
@Mr Byam
I am Antigua born and bred and my roots go deep. The writer is not demanding anything other than fair play. This Cameroon farce/fiasco is the result of the ‘ brothers and sisters’ sound bite that led to Antigua and Barbuda being a laughing stock both in this region and most likely abroad too. The writer has played by the rules yet is behind in the queue to so-callef ‘ wealthy’ Cameroonians whose sole aim is to enter the US illegally. Meantime read ‘ A Proud Cameroonian’s letter of 13th June what he/she thinks of Antiguans. The bunch of duped buffoons who greeted them at V C Bird Airport (out of normal hours) have a plate of eggs on their faces. Why should these chancers be given preference over the writer? Fair is fair.
Antigua is one of the most corrupt islands second to Haiti in the Caribbean. Lead by example he always right doctor Gaston Browne
YOU are corrupt!
To the Writter
I feel your pain. The beuractracy is designed to benifit the Insiders only. As an immigrant you are unlikely to be an insider. These people aren’t so stupid that they can not design or adopt more efficient and less beaucratatic rules and procedures. You are not an insider as yet so you’ll be subjected to these nigtmarish situations when dealing with Government ministries. These deliberately inefficient processes are kept in place to support a currupt political system
You and others in this situation have been subjected to a “Bait and Switch” You are experiencing the bitterness of curruption.
Lean from this experience so that when you become an Antiguan and Barbudan citizen not only do you know who you’ll be giving your “X”;and but be an advocate for change andwhat is right.
” … only to go to immigration [department] …”
Don’t mi laugh young man 🤣🤣🤣, anyway say hi to Katrina Yearwood for me, that’s if you can find she.
Oh, BTW, I bet you got to vote at the last General Election though!
Again, mi haffi laugh … 😂
*mek
Writter,
Consider the following you came here to Antigua as a young immigrant and got yourself most likely free education through state college; something you would not get in any other Caribbean island. We are one of the few who have universal education.
God bless VC Bird Sr. in-spite of his faults.
Having lived in Antigua for sometime, you should not be surprised at what you are facing.
The system needs to be changed I’m sure you will agree
Everybody’s sitch is not the same. Africans were in a different category of immigrants. And …
Just because you’ve been in Antigua since age of 13 doesn’t mean you meet the requirements for citizenship. Maybe you do but wouldn’t that be a simple matter to easily verify? …. Check the requirements, check the boxes, and Bum!
Also, why do you have to do the work of verifying if you are work permit exempt? Sounds stupid! Why doesn’t immigration know that?
Shocking! Well, not really. Good luck!
That’s politics and politicians. Many are still waiting for the 500 homes in 500 days. Where were when that promise was made. Do you remember the response that was given when it did not materialized 😁
Dear writer,
Please feel free to explore your options in the land of your birth.
The ABLP Administration fulfilled their promise with the never ending amnesty..
Everything in life is not free. Each of us must pay our way according to our desire.
Their are legislations and policies in this country FOLLOW THEM.
if you cannot afford your work permit kindly go else where, where that you can afford.
You are not being held hostage so you can always return hone.
Stop pressuring the government YOU GET ENOUGH.
Free education, free health care, safe peaceful environment, Free Amnesty, plenty employment…..etc BE GRATEFUL, SAY THANK YOU, HUMBLE YOURSELF or LEAVE.
Signed
Non LABOUR supporters
@Melchesidec Sorry, you write many lines but makes very little sense.
If Antigua has already invested in this person by giving all the free stuffs (education, etc), why are you encouraging the individual to leave now? It is now time for the person to contribute back to our society.
Antiguans do migrate and live in our countries and I do believe that everyone should be treated with dignity (rich or poor).
The present government did promise the amnesty and based on the writer it appears that the government intends to hold to its promise. The writer has already applied and paid for the citizenship. It just appears that there might be some flaws in the process.
The question at hand though, what is the relevance of the work permit? Is the application for citizenship delayed because the writer needs to present proof of a valid work permit? Or is the writer seeking to get a work permit while the application is getting processed?
I would imagine that if someone has become eligible to apply for citizenship and the application was accepted, then it would only be natural that the person should be allowed to work with a residency stamp or something like that.
I lots of feedback that I have gotten, the process there seems to be deliberately confusing.
@JBF
I am sure we can agree that 70% of all investments is likely to fail. It is common practice to cut your losses and move on.
This artificially grown population that the PM boasts about has significantly reduced the quality of life that Antiguans enjoyed. Ask your country men about how it was before.
Our police men did not carry guns.
Our prisoners would run errors in St John’s.
Our doors and windows were never locked..
Statutory rape and incest was unheard of.
Murders were rear.
Unions were strong and salary and wages high.
We knew our neighbor’s secrets.
We had close knit communities.
Our city and it’s environs did not look like one big ghetto.
Our country was clean and well kept. The tourist loved it.
Our doctors were loving and took care of the entire family.
There was no need for so many vehicles because everyone was kind to each other.
ALL ThAT DONE, THAT PICTURE IS NOW A MEMORY…..
consider your ways and be thankful, because Antiguans has suffered silently and peacefully, as their society continues to decay because GREEDY POLITICIANS ARE USING YOU TO REMAIN IN POWER. AND BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT IS TRUE, YOU ARE MAKING DEMANDS BECAUSE YOU THINK THE POLITICIANS OWE YOU.
@Melchesidec: Well said, well said!
❤❤
Welcome to the land of Dupe. Sometimes the government get dupe, but most times the government dupe people. Especially around election time. Even the Africans eventually got duped after the govt would have made plenty promises. We are an equal opportunity duping country.
I am sure your country of birth is doing better than Antigua and Barbuda economically. Why not use your country passport and apply for a Canadian or American Visa and move on to greener pastures? Canadian and American citizenship will be more affordable for you. You can also try St Kitts and Nevis next door or Anguilla. They are doing better than Antigua. Even Guyana 🇬🇾 are doing better since they have struck oil. Nothing is left back in Antigua since its resources were drained by the flocks of immigrants over the years. Whoever you are, just thanks Antigua and its people, for allowing you the opportunity to stay here, living off the resources for free, and moving on to another country.
On a more helpful note, you have to follow the process.
You’ve obviously filed your application with immigration, but that’s not the end of it.
Done the interview ?
Then waited for months for the approval?
After that, taken the paperwork and made application at passport office for citizenship?
Once you’ve got that application accepted, you can go back to immigration and get a stamp in your passport allowing you to stay and work for 12 months.
If you don’t follow the process, you’ll end up as illegal again.
It’s slow and tedious, but its what you have to do if you want to stay here
Just find one of your Antiguan born school friend to married. Just carry your school friend a court house that’s the cheapest way to get your citizenship BUM! BUM!
Is @GB Gaston Browne? Just the idiot I know you to be. You promised these people you would wave the work permit fees and they stupidly believed you. Well, I for one, a born and bread Antiguan, do not feel any sympathy for this individual. ALP has been using these immigrants to win elections and they continue to be duped by your lies and empty promises.
Different category of migrants? Really? You mean the wealthy tourists you trafficked here and when the alarm was sounded you cried duped? Then when the outrage went up and people died, you and your minions accused folks of xenophobia?
This is way beyond fool me twice. You lie, Gaston Browne with impunity and the folks in City West bought your lies and promises, and now we are stuck with the endless failures and disintegration of our once good country.
Not for long though, not for long. Nature abhors the imbalance you have created and will come to exact its pound of flesh.
Did you vote for the ablp?
UPP min offer fu waive work permit fee too. So now aru done vote fu Labour, no com cry bout wah aru nar get. Tek wah yu get – ah day you deserve.
Dat
A government that claim they have been duped is not very clever but we know it’s lies and corruption. They decide to dupe others for votes . They are dupers
I know you are a gastonite working for ANR so you will edit my post name
You’re scraping the barrel @ tenman, and your excuses are sounding more and more desperate everyday … you Gastonites do tickle mi 🤣
Don’t forget to publish more ABLP propaganda you tool!
Gastón Buym if an election call right now you cannot win one seat . Local contractors that the government owe are suffering to the point of bankruptcy.
How do u know who this person vote for? We never stand up for one another . We as black people will never reach to the top, stop and think about it, the white man come leave us at the back the Chinese come say thing everyone come and its the same thing.We BLACK Antiguans are left at the back of the class look in the streets, look in the cars, look in the stores, look in the big houses. Our colour is so F-up
Speak for yourself, some of us are doing fine.
We just want the ABLP and Gaston ‘$300 Million Dollars’ Browne to create a level playing field.
People like the writer keeps the Prime Minister in power to the detriment of the indigenous population.
There are more Antiguans and Barbudans living in USA,CANADA and ENGLAND combined than in Antigua and Barbuda. Many of us left for various reasons.The letter writer came into Antigua at a very young age.She graduated from High School and State College.She wants to become a Citizen.What is wrong with that absolutely nothing.As long as she is law abiding,works and paid all applicable taxes.Why she should not become a Citizen of the Nation.Many of us left Antigua and have become Citizens of various countries around the World.I am one and happy with my status.
And had to face discrimination in those countries.
SO WHAT? THAT PERSON IS BLACK FOR SURE.SO WHY THE HELL SHOULD SHE /HE FACE DISCRIMINATION IN A SO CALLED BLACK PLACE,ANTIGUA.
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