Citizens of the OECS Economic Union who travel to Saint Lucia can now stay there indefinitely.
The OECS Commission’s Regional Integration Unit made the official announcement last week.
The Castries based Regional Integration Unit says upon arrival in Saint Lucia, Citizens of the OECS Economic Union will be offered an indefinite stay stamp.
The OECS Commission says the new arrangements for Citizens of the OECS Economic Union travelling to Saint Lucia relate to Article 12 entitled the “Movement of Persons” as guided by the Protocol of the OECS Economic Union.
The OECS Commission adds that Citizens of Member States of the OECS Economic Union who travel to Saint Lucia will also be able to drive without a driver’s permit once they are in possession of a valid driver’s license with photo identification and the nationality of their respective OECS Member State highlighted.
Regarding this new arrangement, the OECS Commission has also stated that Citizens of the OECS Economic Union seeking employment in Saint Lucia will no longer require a work permit once they receive the stamp for indefinite stay.
The OECS Commission says Saint Lucia’s implementation of the administration arrangements to give effect to the Movement of people Regime was further facilitated through an intensive training programme organised by Saint Lucia OECS Commissioner Ambassador June Soomer, and facilitated the OECS Regional Integration Unit. Training was held for over 100 officers attached to the traffic, immigration, customs, transport, external affairs, National Insurance Corporation, and other relevant departments. Under the new arrangement, Citizens of the OECS Economic Union can travel to Saint Lucia using a valid photo identification which displays their nationality and is issued by their respective government agency.
On Tuesday August 12th Saint Lucia’s house of parliament discussed the legislation that gives effect to the new regime regarding movement of persons through the OECS Economic Union.
The matter was also taken to the senate on Thursday 14th August 2014. The OECS Commission adds that plans are ongoing in Antigua and Barbuda to have that country fully become part of the OECS Free Movement Regime.
Great! Let’s see what Dominica does.
Which other OECS islands have that law in place besides At. Lucia?
Good decision St. Lucia government. May your country get ambitious and hard working people. May all be law-abiding.
You have schools, college and university. Those who migrate there and are in need of advanced education and other training should also take advantage of ithem.
This is a huge undertaking. If you receive an influx of OECS nationals, your officials should be trained and prepared to assist them upon arrival for accommodation, meals and other necessities. I hope all these are considered and are in place.
The St. Lucian government should be thanked for fostering unity among OECS countries and their nationals. Others will follow suit.
The government of Dominica has already taken in and welcomed many non-Dominicans. who, today, have become citizens of this country This, too, is a good start.
Great move St Lucia. Since I was a lil boy in grade 5 I hearing about OECS Unity up to this day I have grandchild already wii……..lol but thank God I live to see the day next move is my beloved Country…And to those of trying to discredit the haitians among us I think we must stop and really come to appreciate them and stop allowing greed and selfishness to overtake us we are one people one Caribbean letss show some love to our haitian brother’s and sisters. ?….. Caribbean unity One love
I agree. Those who migrate to another country should do their utmost to obtain employment so that they are not dependent on the government and create a financial burden for it. They should consider it a privilege to seek and obtain employment which is also profitable for the country’s economy. Dominica is no exception.
Thats great news….been waiting for this! St kitts already had this implemented i think Dominica is too or soon since all oecs countries would have signed on. United oecs states-perfect!
I always wondered what was going on in St. Lucia. As a Dominican if you were passing through that island to go to North America , the United Kingdom etc you had to produce a a return ticket for Dominica before the St. Lucian officials process you. This baffled me since according to arrangements among our governments, we are one. Based on principle we are all the same country.Thank you SLP.
you statement already has an answer. Based on your own words you going through st. Lucia to an international destination.int his case your using st.Lucia as a way point, this is why they want to know u have a return ticket. Also based on the article this agreement was only resent approved by the senate. what the government had before was only an agreement and and understanding. so untl the senate approved it. the old ways still stood.
great
I have long since been a proponent of the OECS uniting. I honestly do not understand why we are wasting time with CARICOM. The OECS islands would have been further had we concentrated on this union. My favourite place to vacation is St. Lucia. Something about St. Lucia just reminds me of Dominica; i think its the people.
This is good news
Thank you Hope. My favorite place and people in the Caribbean is Dominica and Dominicans. We do have a lot in common including liking people business and gossip. Lol (joke)
I agree with you. Generally, St. Lucians and Dominicans get along well. I reside in Toronto and I know many St. Lucians. I have no problem with them and vice versa. It is always a pleasure interacting with them. We do have much in common. Our patois/creole is similar and we are able to understand each other when we speak this dialect. We do have much in common.
Lol
I share the same sentiments. When I was there people tthought that I was st. Lucia. They spoke to me in patois and I responded likewise. I just blended in easily.
I thought DA was full of happy people but some of them just sit and wait for an opportunity to put a monkey wrench in EVERYTHING. Please get a life this is dangerous to your health.
If you also want to know happy people and vice versa, their writing/ comments will tell much about them for what is in the heart also projects in the writing as stated.
why not build a tunnel or a bridge connecting the nearby caribbean islands hmm…
Lol I agree!
I would endorse that one. Consider Europe. They can drive from one country to another. I must inform you which is crossing my mind. Imagine many people from Poland drove to Rome for the canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. The latter was originally from Poland.
I heard there were approximately 70 buses; probably more. This is not including the numerous other vehicles. They drove to Rome and back It took some hours. Others from other European countries may also have driven to Rome.
That will be the day when roads, underpasses are built throughout the West Indies. It would be a good idea. You never know. The world is progressing and so is the Caribbean/West Indies. Probably not in our lifetime but it may very well happen in the future.
I am not sure that Mexican knows what he / she wanted to say but just wanted to reflect the hatred towards Haitian people and he / she maybe has more than one passport.
well if the attitudes of a majority of haitians were better/humbled, then maybe more people would hate them so… too many of them walk around like they ate entitled……
@ observer
Dominicans don’t hate Haitians, so your misguided emotional rant is a fallacy. Dominica has the highest concentration of Haitians in the OECS .This is no accident. It is based on the responsible immigration policies of the other countries plus the vigilance of their natives as opposed to the lax system in Dominica.
Generally Haitians would prefer to go to St. Lucia instead of much poorer Dominica, however St. Lucia is much stricter and resist their influx vehemently. Dominica is the only place in the world a Haitian can enter illegally and get a passport within 6 weeks.
Dominica has been blacklisted by the french authorities and reported to the European assemblies because of the thousands of Haitians that enter into the neighboring french territories, using Dominica as a ‘backdoor’.
You may love them as much as you can as fellow humans, but that does not entitle them to break the law. By the same token Dominicans should not violate other countries immigration policies. The fact that many of you Dominicans have chosen to IMPOSE yourselves on other peoples countries, does not give you the RIGHT to force the same conditions on the those who remain in the homeland .
This has implications for future generations for which your naivete cannot assuage.
this is great new!!!!!! keep it up!
They should do this for all the the islands XD
We are one people – Dominicans, Haitians, St Lucians,… Thank God our laws are beginning to reflect this. It is really helpful to us all when we applaud efforts at unity.
Haitians are not part of us!
U too sort.hush!
They are people; human beings. The difference between people is they are from a different socio-economical background, status and culture and they possess their individual personality and characteristic traits. These do make a big difference. Nevertheless, I reiterate that we are people. I cannot see why we cannot get along and unite also on this Website.
Love, respect and according each other their due rights and dignity will contribute to peace and unity.
great Move
St.Lucia not stupid. more people in st. Lucia is more tax revenue. We as a a people should have been one Caribbean long go.
Are you old enough, be it that you were a child then, to know about the Referendum and who wanted it and did not want it?
For years those West Indian countries have been debating for this. Today we have Caricom and OECS. St. Lucia is leading the way of unity among these islands. It will, of course, benefit St. Lucia once those who enter are contributing their fair share towards the country’s revenue and growth.
Oecs moving ahead….. caricom lagging behind
Good move St Lucia! We hope you maintain your stance when you get swamped by the thousand of Haitian nationals who now carry Dominican passports.
Haiti isn’t even part of the OECS
like he said…”who carry Dominican passports”…that’s what is gonna get them in.
And Arab terrorists.
God, preserve the islands from this. I am deeply saddened about what is occurring in those countries as Iraq and Syria. The Christians who are alive are now displaced people and suffering immensely.
We can only surmise how much they are suffering but we cannot fathom it. My heart goes out to them. Let us pray for them and for world peace and unity. I realize this is a long way off but we must never cease doing so.
Do you reside in Texas?