The Immigration Department is severely understaffed, according to its 2011 annual report, which was released during a July House of Assembly sitting.
“The department’s staff is in need of immediate attention,” the report states, adding that the department currently has 50 officers while it is authorised to have a staff of 69, inclusive of the custodial workers.
As of Dec. 31, there were vacancies at all levels of the department, including two assistant chief immigration officers.
“There seems to be a challenge with getting persons hired for some reason,” the report states. “The department has been trying to get persons hired, but the end result is usually a stalemate.”
To adequately protect the territory’s borders, the report calls for its staff complement to be “up to its full and functional capacity urgently.”
See the Sept. 6, 2012 edition for full coverage.
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