Free movement begins in OECS on Monday

OECS Chairman Stephenson King

The St. Lucia-based organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) says it is making final preparations for the August 1 free movement of nationals from the sub-region.

It said that the initiative will involve the six independent member states namely Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis, with Montserrat expect to join by September followed at a later date by Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.

Lisa Louis-Phillip of the OECS Secretariat’s Regional Integration Unit said that every effort was being made to ensure that all administrative arrangements agreed to by the working group have been put in place in time for Monday

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19 Comments

  1. Lyds
    July 30, 2011

    GREAT MOVE! LONG OVERDUE IN MY OPINION.

  2. traveller
    July 29, 2011

    Antigua is still expecting OECS citizens to go pay for time and work permit come August 1st.

  3. Bones
    July 28, 2011

    But I like the move…

  4. Bones
    July 28, 2011

    now we will see voller (crime)

  5. Free 2 Move
    July 28, 2011

    What gonna happen when the haitiens and chinese start using dominica as a springboard to flood the other oecs countries? Will the other countries then impose a visa on dominica?

  6. Anonymous
    July 28, 2011

    great! Now i can aply to work in SVG on the international airport, (construction work)

  7. Chavez Jr.
    July 28, 2011

    I still believe in a Windward Islands Integration (free movement) than OECS integrationm. Some of the islands in the north still have this attitude towards the people from the windward side.The windward island are more integrated and have a stronger relationship among them.

  8. Not Tola
    July 28, 2011

    Very good development. However, from my reading of this article I see it says BVI (Tortola) is expected to join later…trust me not this BVI where I now live. This place is the most prejudice place in the caribbean. They treat visitors as “non belongers” as if we dont belong anywhere, they refer to our islands as “down islands” in a derrogatory way as if our islands are worse than theirs and they just have a very poor attitude to visitors. Believe me, this is a great move but don’t sit and wait for the BVI (Tortola) to get on board..oh maybe it will get on board after all the foreigners on the island leaves them to themselves and the territory begins to suffer as a result of their incompetencies.

    • Not the BOTs
      July 28, 2011

      I truly believe that the British Overseas territories will not be able to join. Under the current UK coalition government, I very much doubt they will give their BOTs permission to integrate.

      Remember, the BOTs are used as a quick route to obtaining a BOT/UK passport. So many Guyanese and Jamaican nationals took them for a serious ride.

  9. RAS B
    July 28, 2011

    Is it just me? Mr King is the splitting image of Darren Sammy, the West Indies Cricket Captain. Are they related by blood lines? Can someone in the know please respond?

  10. July 28, 2011

    I AM SCARED OF THAT MOVE.

  11. July 28, 2011

    Great news for job seekers in the OECS. Now we can apply for jobs in any of these island. Check out http://www.caribbeanjobsonline.com

  12. mouth of the south
    July 28, 2011

    that’s good… now are there any security measures in place… is there a system in place where criminal records are readable on the passports by any customs officer…. um um… so many concerns…. no more backdoor again… d seen getting dread man… allu killing the action… remember when we use to go on backdoor seen in b.v.i and anguilla… real steven segal movements

  13. Sout Man
    July 28, 2011

    This is positive. Let’s show the rest of CARICOM how it’s done and please do not give them an excuse to say, “I told you so”. There will be growing pains initially. From the outset, we must be tough on drugs and crime, including prostitution.

    We must also have a mechanism for early voting so that nationals can participate in electing their nations government without having to return home on election day. Ballots must be in before election day and must be verifiable as being authentic. Hence the need for a national ID card with a micro-chip, finger prints and other personal data.

  14. life
    July 28, 2011

    Not shure dominica is intrested in this crap.

  15. Anonymous
    July 28, 2011

    Wouldn’t that be something, something that CARICOM will learn from.
    The question begs itself though, what does tat mean to the common man?

    • Piper
      July 28, 2011

      It should be open to everybody, not just the elite. We are one Caribbean people. Why have the Europeans been able to do it, while we, as small island nations have not been able to accomplish that despite years of talk?

  16. antigua
    July 28, 2011

    ok so criminals can trade ok st vincent please my question is can criminals travel at ease to

    • Piper
      July 28, 2011

      Don’t criminals travel at ease between Portsmouth and Roseau? Don’t they travel at ease between France and Germany? If we stop looking inward, and stop scaring ourselves into doing nothing, we can actually make progress as a CARIBBEAN people.

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