Cabinet approves guidelines for immigration waivers
THE list of non-residents who will be exempted from fees for an extension of stay in Jamaica has been approved by Cabinet and will be applied by the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).
This disclosure came from the Minister with responsibility for Information, Daryl Vaz, during a recent Jamaica House post cabinet press briefing.
The waivers which fall under humanitarian grounds; acts of God; bilateral agreements; court cases and volunteer workers approved by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, are guided by immigration laws and PICA’s mandate to be self sufficient.
Under the humanitarian guideline, there are several cases for extension of stay that can be favourably reviewed by PICA. These include persons whose health conditions can be supported by a medical practitioner; have a physical disability; are retired and not a charge to the State; or are victims of human trafficking.
In matters where a person with a non-immigration breach is a witness of the State in a court case, those persons will not be charged for an extension of stay.
Persons who are employed to the government, or who are performing duties on behalf of the government under bilateral or international agreements will not be charged an extension of stay fee. The same applies to persons whose volunteer worker status already qualifies them for a work permit waiver from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.