Response to Mr. Mitchell
In a recent
letter to the press, the Nassau Institute put forward observations about
the government’s latest immigration policies.
In
a response published in The Punch on February 16, Fred Mitchell stated
that no new fees were being introduced for immigration services, there
was no new policy related to permission for non-nationals to attend
school, no new fees had been introduced for work permits since the PLP
came to power in 2012, and the law did not require non-nationals
employed by government to have a work permit.
While
the latter point about foreign employees of the government only serves
to emphasize the unfairness to the private sector which is required to
obtain work permits for non-nationals, Mr. Mitchell’s other points
should be read in conjunction with his speech at the Business Outlook
conference on January 29. This made it clear that a new student permit
policy was being introduced, the work permit rules were being tightened
including higher fees, and residency costs were also to be increased.
Are we to assume from his most recent remarks that he now disowns and discredits his own stated policy?
Yours in Liberty
The Nassau Institute