Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

New Conditions Under Revised Work Permit Exemption Policy

New Conditions Under Revised Work Permit Exemption Policy

A new work permit exemption policy took effect on August 23, 2021, with new qualifying conditions.

Notably, the policy no longer lists the length of time resided in the Territory as a qualifying condition. The revised categories of Work Permit Exemption are exemptions by marriage, education; and minister's discretion.

However, all outstanding applications submitted in 2020, and January to June 2021 are to be processed (approval or denial) by 1st September, 2021, under the previous policy.

The new policy was approved by Cabinet on August 18 and will see the previous policy being revoked. According to Cabinet, the new policy is to better reflect the Government's ever-evolving strategy on Immigration and Labour reform in the Territory, and to streamline and reduce the illegal trends associated with Work Permit Exemption holders, relating to illegal work and movement throughout the Territory.

Cabinet also approved non-refundable fees for all categories of exemptions. A new work permit exemption application fee is set at $100.00 per application; renewal work permit exemption application fee $100.00 per application; new work permit exemption and card fee - four hundred dollars $400.00 per application; and renewal work permit exemption and card fee - $400.00 per application.

Additionally, a revised work permit exemption form was approved. All applications for Work Permit Exemptions are to be received and processed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration only, and approved by the Minister for Natural Resources, Labour and Immigration, unless otherwise instructed by the Cabinet.

Applications Via Marriage


According to Cabinet's approval, an application can be made immediately following marriage to a BVIslander or Belonger. An approved person will receive a fixed period of six years, maximum. At year five, an application for Belonger by Marriage should be made with the Immigration Department.

Under an application via marriage, Cabinet stipulated the need for a letter of intent from a local employer for an applicant, who is currently unemployed and living in the Territory as a dependent of the spouse. Further, applications from spouses residing outside of the Territory will be denied.

"This category of exemption will be linked to a specific employer. Any change in employer/employment, prior to the expiration of the exemption, will result in the exemption being automatically cancelled," Cabinet outlined.

It was further stated that the awarded exemption is to be considered revoked if divorced, legally separated or residing outside of the Territory, as per Section 16(9) of the Immigration and Passport Act, for over 90 days without previous permission, provided that a work permit exemption will not be revoked if the holder has, at any time obtained a protection order against their spouse under the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, 2011;

Minister's Discretion


Under the revised policy, the Minister can grant an exemption of work permit to any person he/she sees as deserving, at his/her discretion.

"A person falling into this category would not be eligible for exemption by marriage; this category of exemption will be linked to a specific employer. Any change in employment prior to the expiration of the exemption will nullify the exemption previously awarded," Cabinet approved.

According to the Cabinet decision, a person is only eligible to reapply after a period of one year has passed from the date of the originally denied application; the option to apply for a renewal of an expired work permit exemption; and to be revoked if residing outside of the Territory, as per Section 16(9) of the Immigration and Passport Act, for over 90 days without prior permission.

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?
×