Guyana Cracking Down On Work Permits

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana government says it will reduce the number of work permits granted to foreigners as it sought to encourage that nationals be given priority for those jobs.

“Contrary to our friends (opposition parliamentarians), we are not averse to visitors or to having investors what we are saying is that Guyanese must have an equal play,” Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Winston Felix told the National Assembly, Monday, during debate on the GUY$221 billion (One Guyana dollar =US$0.008 cents) national budget.

He told legislators that applications for work permits for cooks and labourers were being even though these workers were available locally.

“We don’t want a lopsided situation is where our own people do not have access to our lands to do what other people are doing,” said Felix.

He said that in 2012, work permits totalling 1,050 were granted with 991 for Brazilians and a year later, 462 Brazilians were granted work permits while last year of the 744 wok permits approved, 694 were for Brazilians.

He told the National Assembly that so far this year, 394 work permts had been approved for foreign nationals with 236 going to Brazilians who received work permits.

Felix said the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration was established to ensure that the interest of Guyanese are protected and preserved and “that our borders are not violated by those who are intent on perpetrating criminal activities.”

He said while the new government welcomed foreign investors it would not be at the expense of the Guyanese population.

“We want the inflow of foreign money but we also want our people to benefit from the inflows that come in,” he said.