VOLUME 12 - NO. 14
APRIL 9TH, 2016 – APRIL 16TH, 2016
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NEW RULES FOR WORK PERMITS AND PRC By Todeline Defralien
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ew rules will be put in place for persons applying for work permits and permanent certificates (PRC) in the Turks and Caicos Islands. In an interview with The SUN, Minister of Immigration, Labour and Border Control Hon. Donhue Gardiner said these changes are designed to make it easier for Turks and Caicos Islands to take their rightful place in the workplace, while at the same time addressing a number of irregularities in the system. Hon. Don-Hue Gardiner said one of the major new features will be how to deal with the grants of work permits, such as what needs to be in an advertisement when putting an advertisement in a newspaper for a work permit. “For example, the salary needs to be there, any other benefit that comes with the job needs to be there, it needs to be approved by the commission of labor before it is placed so that whole advertising process has been overhauled for the grant of a labor clearance.” He added: “There are certain things that the Ordinance requires the Immigration Board to take into account before it actually grants a work permit. We start at section (26), (27) and (28) of the Immigration Ordinance it sets out what the board would have to take into account before they would grant a work permit. The details of the job description and salary package, the details of the proposed employees background qualifications and experience, the details of any application that has been received from a Turks and Caicos Islander. In the past they didn’t have to do that. The Immigration Board would not know whether they’re a Turks and Caicos Islander that applied for the Job. Now it’s a requirement that the employer has to say to them who all have applied and even the advertisement when they go out the advertisement must say in it itself that belongers should also send copies
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Chef Minister of Anguilla Visits TCI for Health Tour
hief Minister of Anguilla Victor Banks recently led a delegation from his country to the Turks and Caicos Islands. They are interested in doing a health law and improving their Health and insurance system and they came to investigate the Turks and Caicos Islands National Insurance and
of their application to the Immigration Board and to the Labor commissions so that they can be cross-referenced.” Gardiner noted that where there are trade organization such as the Electricians Association and Bar Association, before the board issues a work permit in those areas they must consult with that association before they are able to grant a work permit. He also announced that when a person applies for a work permit, they must pay an application fee that is going to be 10% of the work permit fee or $150 or whichever is higher. After the application has been approved then they must pay the
National Health Insurance plan and how they work. The Anguilla Chief Minister also held talks with Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing. The visiting delegation also toured the hospital to see what services were basically provided and how they can improve their system.
balance. “What that does is that it prevents government being lax in giving people their refund, so it takes care all of that and so that is one of the things that we wanted to do but then we also wanted to make sure that the application fee was such that people would not be making frivolous applications. For example, the application fee for someone who works as a lawyer the work permit fee is $9,500 so the application fee on that would be $950.00 which is 10% and once the application has been approved you’ll have 21 days within to pay. If you do not pay within that 21 day period
From L-R (Finance Minister Hon. Washington Misick, Minister of Health, Education & Social Development Hon. Evans McNiel Rogers, Chief Minister of Anguilla, Victor Banks Premier Hon. Dr. Rufus Ewing and Deputy Premier and Minister of Education, Youth, Sport and Library Services Hon. Akierra Missick)
then the law says that the approval is withdrawn and the application is considered as haven been refused,” Gardiner added In regards to PRCs he said they have increase the age from five to seven so anyone who would have come to the islands before seven years old once they’ve turned eighteen and if they’ve gone through the school system they would qualify for the grant of a PRC. “If come after that age and you would have had a freelancer’s work permit for a number of three years than you would again qualify for a grant of what we call a PRC. Continued on Page 2
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