Immigration, Labour Reforms Aim To Make Doing Business Easier
The ongoing reforms to Immigration and Labour being implemented by the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) administration are geared towards making doing business in the Territory easier.
This is according to Hon. Vincent Wheatley, Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration.
“We must continue with the reform of labour and immigration. We must make doing business in the BVI easier. It must become more user-friendly therefore most of our services, once we pass legislation will be going online and increase the ease of doing business,” he said during a community meeting held in the First District on Saturday evening, January 30.
These comments come even as many locally-owned businesses and expatriate workers fume over the issues they are having with some of the newly implemented policies during COVID-19.
Hon. Wheatley said that the BVI has four important attributes. He outlined that It is a very attractive place to live, work, visit and invest. This, he vows to ensure remains intact.
“Four very important attributes, and everything that we have done so far and I will do is to make sure we strengthen those critical attributes that the BVI has. Even COVID-19 couldn’t diminish those things,” he stated.
The labour minister reiterated that the government intends to localize the workforce which for decades has comprised mostly of expatriates.
“We are going to do our immigration reforms, labour reforms, we are going to localize the workforce the best we can. Nothing happens overnight, but we are going to be persistent on it,” he assured.
“We must continue with the reform of labour and immigration. We must make doing business in the BVI easier. It must become more user-friendly therefore most of our services, once we pass legislation will be going online and increase the ease of doing business,” he said during a community meeting held in the First District on Saturday evening, January 30.
These comments come even as many locally-owned businesses and expatriate workers fume over the issues they are having with some of the newly implemented policies during COVID-19.
Hon. Wheatley said that the BVI has four important attributes. He outlined that It is a very attractive place to live, work, visit and invest. This, he vows to ensure remains intact.
“Four very important attributes, and everything that we have done so far and I will do is to make sure we strengthen those critical attributes that the BVI has. Even COVID-19 couldn’t diminish those things,” he stated.
The labour minister reiterated that the government intends to localize the workforce which for decades has comprised mostly of expatriates.
“We are going to do our immigration reforms, labour reforms, we are going to localize the workforce the best we can. Nothing happens overnight, but we are going to be persistent on it,” he assured.
