Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Labour Dep’t head puzzled about mandatory migration review

Labour Dep’t head puzzled about mandatory migration review

Acting Labour Commissioner, Michelle McLean appeared nonplussed when asked at a recent stakeholders’ meeting about a mandatory annual review of a policy that looks at employment and migration needs in the territory.

During the meeting, a resident noted that there is a requirement in the Labour Code for an annual review of the comprehensive policy on international migration into the BVI. That same resident then queried when the last review was done and asked, ‘based on an assumption that the stakeholders’ meeting would lead to a review of the Labour policies, when a report would be completed and laid before the House of Assembly?’.

Labour Minister Vincent Wheatley then promptly said the Labour Department is “working on the report”. He then directed the resident’s query to McLean for further elaboration.

“A report on international migration? That is what the person is asking there?” McLean responded.

“We are not currently working on any report on international migration, we work on different types of reports. I think we first have to do some type of assessment as it pertains to the workforce in itself,” she added.

According to the Labour Commissioner, the Labour Department only has information based on work permit holders but would need a complete assessment of the entire workforce which includes BVIslanders and Belongers before it can embark on further reports regarding migration.

What the law says


According to Section 178 (1) of the BVI’s 2010 Labour Code: “The minister shall cause to be prepared, and reviewed annually, a comprehensive policy on international migration for employment that is based on the economic and social needs of the Virgin Islands and takes into account the short-term need of human resources; the short-term availability of human resources in the Virgin Islands; and the long-term social and economic consequences of migration for Virgin Islanders, Belongers and migrant employees.”

It further states: “The minister shall submit the policy prepared under subsection (1), and each revision, to the Cabinet for its approval and the approved policy shall be laid before the House of Assembly as soon as practicable.”

Immigration Department has migration data


Meanwhile, Chief Immigration Officer Ian Penn when called upon for a comment on the issue, shared that a report on migration for the territory was important, but said he was not involved in giving any advice or information for any such report.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Joseph Smith Abbott, then commented that the issue of a migration review was something that required a very serious look.

“Perhaps this is something for serious consideration in terms of looking comprehensively at workforce development and Labour needs in the context of migration as well,” Smith Abbot said.

Penn interjected to advise, however, that the BVI’s new border management system is equipped to collect data on the migration of workers into the territory and said this can be used to come up with decisions for a given period.

Officials did not indicate during the stakeholders’ meeting whether a policy had ever been issued or reviewed as was mandated by the Labour Code.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×