By George Alleyne
Faced with a declining population
Barbados is introducing
sweeping changes to its immigration
laws, widening the scope of
non-nationals who can become
citizens, and speeding up the
process.
Following a slow population
growth rate that began shortly
after independence in 1966, the
island then stepped into a negative
birth rate from 2014 onwards
resulting in an overall declining
populace contrasted with a growing
elderly group that puts in peril
the National Insurance Scheme
funds including pensions because
of reduced entrants into the workforce
to pay into those annuities.
Moreover, a combination of
people retiring and those dying,
either prematurely or of old age,
in Barbados in recent years outnumber
persons born, yet there
remains a need for an adequate
labour force to sustain growth
and prosperity.
Against a backdrop of these
circumstance Minister of Home
Affairs, Edmund Hinkson this
week revealed that by January he
will put to his Cabinet colleagues
a proposed Immigration amendment
Bill that on approval will go
to parliament bringing into law a
relaxation of rules for the pathway
to citizenship.
“In the last five years between
2014 and 2018 our rate of natural
population increase has hovered
between 1.2 and -0.4, with
our rate of population growth
between those years being in the
negative, -0.2 percent in 2014 and
2015, and -0.4 percent in 2016,
2017 and 2018”.
Contrasting this decline in
Barbadian birth rate on island to
earlier years, he added, “our birth
rate in 1970 was 20.3 per 1,000
people, our death rate was 8.7 per
1,000.”
He further quoted figures that
showed Barbados’ resident population,
Caribbean L 24 ife, Nov. 29-Dec. 5, 2019
has grown by under 35,000
persons in the last 50 years.
“In 1970 our population was
240,000 … and last December our
population size was 273,000.”
Hinkson said the answer to this
inadequate birth rate in a country
with aspirations for advanced economic
growth lay in managed
migration.
“Our continued prosperity, our
sustained growth, socio-economic
development. The deepening
of the quality of our economic
growth depends on our attracting
requisite skills and expertise not
only from CARICOM countries
but from outside our region particularly
in the Diaspora.”
For these reasons he spoke of
seven initiatives to be included in
the proposed amended law, making
clear that other changes will
be announced later.
1) “We will expand citizenship
bestowment options to
grandparents and great-grandparents
… If you are a grandchild
or a great grandchild of a Barbadian
citizen, you will thereafter
be entitled to Barbadian citizenship.”
Currently only parents are
allowed to grant citizenship by
descent to their offspring not born
in Barbados.
2) “After three years ordinary
residence in Barbados after
becoming a permanent resident
you will be able to become a citizen
of Barbados. … Ordinary residence
will be defined as lawful
residence for half of the year each
year. This will be another platform
for people to become citizens
of Barbados other than by birth,
descent, adoption or marriage;
3) “Permanent residents
who have been ordinary residents
in Barbados for more than seven
years will be grandfathered into
barbados Minister of Home Affairs, Edmund Hinkson.
Photo by George Alleyne
citizenship;
4) “CARICOM Skilled
nationals, their spouses and
dependents will be entitled to
become permanent residents and
then citizenship through qualifying
by way of time spent in Barbados.
Those who have been residing
in Barbados for more than seven
years would be grandfathered into
citizenship;
5) “Citizenship by marriage
…by way of prescription you
now have to wait three years
for citizenship. … The Cabinet
of Barbados has agreed to bring
that down from three years to two
years;
6) “Persons who have
highly desirable employment
skills, who are willing to open a
business, or who have substantial
capital, money, willing to invest
significantly in our economy and
provide much needed employment
to Barbadians would be facilitated
in acquiring permanent residence
and then citizenship; and
7) “Persons who are ordinarily
resident in Barbados for
four years will be eligible for permanent
residence.”
Barbados opening its doors