The prime minister of the Eastern Caribbean nation of St. Lucia says the Caribbean region needs to unite more in the face of growing anti immigration trends around the globe as Ireland revokes visa free travel for locals.
Speaking to reporters this week, Phillip Pierre says locals and people in the region need to take note of sweeping anti immigration policies around the world and should focus more on improving the lot of Caribbean nationals.
He spoke hours after Irish authorities revoked visa free access for St. Lucians following the lead of Britain in the past year.
Britain had cited their alleged discomfort with the citizenship by Investment or golden passport scheme through which foreigners are able to buy local passports and obtain citizenship with as little as a $100,000 down-payment and investment in real estate or other sectors. The Irish did not rail about the passport scheme.
The US and European nations say they doubt the ability of participating nations to conduct proper due diligence on applicants, though very few of them have run into trouble with international enforcement agencies.
The new rule took effect on June 15, but those with previous travel plans can enter visa free up to mid-July.
“The situation is that these countries have decided that they are going to be anti-immigrant. That’s why it’s so important that our region get together, because the whole world seems to be getting very insular,” Pierre said. ” I have no control over Irish internal policy. The Irish government decides what’s in the best interest of Ireland. I have no control over that.”
Pierre complained that his administration had only been officially notified about the visa changes last Friday and there were no prior discussion sessions with Irish officials. The new rule also affects nearby St. Kitts and Nicaragua.
In announcing the changes, Irish officials stated that they recognized “that changes of this nature may affect some individuals who may already have travel plans in place. There will be transitional arrangements for those people to help manage the change,” the announcement said.
“This is a carefully considered decision that brings Ireland more closely in line with the approach taken in the United Kingdom and across Europe,” the announcement noted, adding that it is “part of an ongoing process to keep Ireland aligned with practices in the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Schengen Area.”
