Effective today, Monday, March 6, Dominican nationals and holders of Dominican passports will not be required to fill out the embarkation and disembarkation forms.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the announcement during a press briefing held recently.
“The issue of embarkation and disembarkation cards: with effect from March 6, 2023 holders of Dominican passports will not be required to fill out the embarkation and disembarkation forms,” he said.
He explained that the current forms that Dominican citizens have been required to fill, which include home address, country of issue, names, date of birth, and flight details “will no longer be required to be filled by Dominicans holding Dominican passports effective March 6.”
Furthermore, Prime Minister Skerrit explained that visitors to the country will not be required to fill this form.
“We will be introducing a new form for visitors to the country,” he stated. “It has the immigration section and also the customs declaration.”
The Prime Minister said those forms will also be available online, “no later than the 2nd of April, so that visitors to Dominica will be able to fill out those forms online.”
Meantime, he said these things have to go through an evolutionary process, “and I think that the times we are keeping in is moving towards a direction where that is being eliminated and that the human resources are better utilized in other areas.”
He explained that in Dominica’s case, we are utilizing the police officers as immigration officers.
“Most countries don’t and it’s something we are looking at to move away from and to get the police to really engage in and to provide greater comfort to the citizens of Dominica,” Skerrit noted.
As part of the process of making changes where immigration is concerned, Skerrit said his government will also be removing the need for Dominicans to go through immigration when leaving Dominica.
“You will only be subjected to immigration when you are coming into Dominica,” he revealed. “There will be no need for you to go in another line after you have checked in to the airline to give your passport to be stamped.”
Skerrit continued, “That does not mean that the police there or customs cannot pull you aside and question you and search you if they see you are suspicious…”
This is going to be a statistical nightmare, save an alternative way of capturing visitor statistics, which the Gov’t needs (should use) for tourism planning and policies.
Just bse you hold a Dominican passport does not mean you’re a resident of Dominica, and if you’re not resident in DA, you are a visitor. WTO standard stats require tables of visitors and place of stay. Dominica will have issues with this kind of data requirement.
When will the Government allow subject matter experts to advise on policies and manage their respective offices?
The second issue is that of SECURITY, just bse you have a Dominican passport doesn’t make you immune to committing crime or being exposed to bad actors crossing our borders. Who advises our PM on these subjects? Does he really know it all all all??
The Police will have hells tracking criminals (that hold Dominican Passports) that cross into Dominica. Why is this such a priority policy for our PM? Dominica is getting undone at the seams
Dominican nationals and holders of Dominican passports will not be required to fill out the embarkation and disembarkation forms. This is the first phase of getting around Electoral Refrom. If there is no record of embarkation and disembarkation forms, how do you determine one’s eligibility to vote in Dominica? This is the Punk Minister’s way of further hijacking Dominica’s democracy. This renders the 90 days stay in Dominica within a five years period obsolete. The Punk Minister is acutely aware that his only chance of remaining Punk Minister is by stealing elections and he laying the ground work.
Boy Dominica has some stupid and backwards people this is the reason why guys such as Edison James, Ugly Lenny, and now Thompson, can afford to play Monkey business with their gullible followers that cannot see the woods from the trees.
Very useful for those Dominicans that are either illiterate or can only write in Chinese, Russian, Arabic or any of the Indian languages like Urdu, which our border force cannot read Anyway but don’t worry, soon we will have interpreters at the new airport.
Skerrit is not an Englishman.He is a Dominican.Everytime we read your name we think of a Spanish prostitute.
I hope you and your blue bugs do not burst a blood vessel over Skerrit,because he is going to be there for a long time.
He is also a French man and he should have never been the PM of our Country. Our country would be in a much better place without him.
Thankfully, no one in Dominica who matters would agree with you. Choke on that!
French man my a**hole Mr Skerrit, is more Dominican than you are or ever will be by following a bunch of disgusting victims of life in other words losers.
Of course ‘Mr. Skerrit’ is a French man. See court case some years back. And his dunce Missus is a Yank. Now stop barking, mash.
I have news for you clown. Skerrit happens to be an Irish name. I wonder how that came about.
Skerrit gives them nothing.Where do you come from JAH KA.S glory?Skerrit has given thousands of people $250,000,$300,000 and $400,000 houses and apartments FREE,something you will never have.Skerrit is paying 2,700 senior citizens $300(those not qualified for DSS benefits)monthly.Did you know Skerrit introduced a school bus service in Dominica?Did you also know madam Phd in English,that Skerrit brought Clear Harbour to Dominica?And did you know further that Skerrit removed the Hospital User Fees from the backs of poor Dominicans?Skerrit invented the NEP,hundreds have moved from there to higher heights.Skerrit built Dominica after Maria,while crooks,traitors and vagabonds were
rejoicing at the destruction.We have no place for haters,crooks,traitors,liars and habitual criminals in this country.Skerrit gives them nothing,you must be a creature from the black lagoon.To date Dominica has a total of 38,501 registered vehicles in a population of 72,000.
Yes everything is free and at whose expense? Meanwhile government taking how long to pay for goods and services and frustrating people in the process. Dominica have a lot of vehicles, the majority of which are imported duty free; again at the expense of the treasury.
And as for the houses – are they really the persons own? Do they have title to those properties? Can they afford to maintain them?
You seem to take pleasure in insulting peoples intelligence. Well then put your money where you mouth is and help Skerrit to pay the bills owed.
Bon
Wow Skerrit, that’s the achievement of the century. As a result, Dominica will be so much better off. Give me a break man, something doesn’t add up…
I guess. you read but did not understand. Why no read it again make a lot of sense.
So if that was the law five years ago a known wanted criminal like Allriza Monfared would enter Dominica and immigration and custom offices at the airport would not even know who came in and how much was in his briefcase eh. Bravo Roosevelt Skerrit. You can hide for a while but won’t hide for ever
Don’t believe anything Skerrit does is in the best interest of Dominicans and therefore this is not in our interest. My guess is , this new decision is to protect CBI passport holders and wanted criminals from Russia and other countries that will soon be coming down so they will no longer have to declare how many billions of dollars they coming down with. It is a nobody sees nobody knows thing
I hear his dunce supporters bray: progress, progress… Skerrit gives them nothing and they thank him for it!
Wish everywhere else would follow suit….hate filling out those forms….so tedious
With all due respect, this speech is very poor in both grammar and quality, viz: “and I think that the times we are keeping in is moving towards a direction where that is being eliminated and that the human resources are better utilized in other areas.” I’m going to ask some fifth graders what is wrong with this sentence.
Here’s another: Most countries don’t and it’s something we are looking at to move away from and to get the police to really engage in and to provide greater comfort to the citizens of Dominica.” Comfort? Police in Dominica provide comfort?
And there’s more: “that does not mean that the police there or customs cannot pull you aside and question you and search you if they see you are suspicious…” And “suspicious” remains relative?
And Skerro used to fail me in English eh at Sifocol, haha
Finally, we have an updated photo of Lying Roosevelt. His face is a manifestation of the weight of his plethora of sins.
The receding hairline is in rapid retreat. There is a discoloration of his eyes and a dark, puffy bag below each of them. His face is showing distinct signs of wear and tear probably from the stress of having to invent lies to defend his indefensible wrongdoings.
This haggard looking con artist MUST leave office for the country to advance.
It won’t be long and he will return from one of his travels with a complete face lift (dimples and all) to woe the female voters of DA again. Of course, all at state expense.
There is always something sinister or advantageous for anything Roosevelt does. This decision means that Syrians and other foreigners of ill-repute who are the holders of a Dominican passport have been given a free pass ever Dominica without scrutiny.
Taking Roosevelt’s words at face value is a foolish and detrimental thing to do. Recently, new passports were issued and now these other changes relating to traveling and out the country. Something nefarious is afoot.
Investigative journalism is sadly lacking in Dominica. So Roosevelt has free reign to perpetrate all his corrupt maneuvering with impunity. When the news media is weak democracy will perish while evil will flourish.
But, but, but, I thought most countries use IMMIGRATION POLICE to control entry and exit through their borders.
What is this man really up to?