Persons living in the Bahamas on work permits must first prove that they are able to afford private schooling and health insurance before they bring their children or spouse into the country, Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson said yesterday.
He said the aim is to prevent further strain on the country’s education and healthcare systems.
Mr Gibson said that the Immigration Department will be putting tighter restrictions on those persons with work permits who want to reside in the Bahamas with their family or who want to send for their family members at a later time.
In addition, he said that his department is strictly enforcing the policy that those persons who had to be repatriated will not be receiving work permits. The minister made the comments when he appeared on the ZNS talk show “Immediate Response”, hosted by Steve McKinney.
He said that just as a person who is wishing to receive a work permit must first be outside of the Bahamas when he or she is doing so, a person who is on a work permit must have his/her family residing outside of the country before they are brought to live in the Bahamas.
“I told them that I am not going to make wrong right. If you want your kids to come to the Bahamas to be with you and you are here on a work permit and they do not have any status, leave them out of the county until we give you permission.
“Do not enroll them in a school and ask me to make it right because I won’t do it,” he said.
This, the minister pointed out will halt the increasing burden on both the public school and healthcare system.
“When we look at our school system right now, we are over burdened with kids coming in whose parents are on work permits and those who are illegal immigrants.
“So what we are doing now is if you are here on work permit and you want to bring your kids here into the Bahamas and your spouse and if we are not satisfied that you are able to put your kid in private school and also take out medical insurance for them we are not giving you permission to bring them in.” the Minister said.
This policy, he said, was established in the past but it was not enforced.
“Let’s say an individual is here on a work permit and he is making $200 a week and he sends for three or four kids and his spouse and wants them to reside here, I am then knowingly giving them a permit to come into the public school system and take advantage of the public health care system?” Mr Gibson asked.
He said that if persons want to bring their family into the country they must first satisfy the immigration department of their ability to take care of their family financially before they enter the country and become a burden on the system.
By RUPERT MISSICK Jr Chief Reporter
