The government sparked confusion last week by abruptly stating that indefinite work permit exemptions had been scrapped — only to U-turn in the face of widespread concern.
In a reversal of policy, the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation reversed the move on Nov. 12, less than a day after declaring the permits “invalid.”
The ministry said in a statement that it “wishes to advise the public that the bulletin previously issued regarding the validity of indefinite work permit exemptions has been retracted.”
It also apologised for “any inconvenience or distress this may have caused.”
“The ministry acknowledges that the information contained in the earlier notice caused public concern and confusion,” the statement added.
‘Clarification’ promised
The ministry also promised that “further clarification” on the matter would be forthcoming.
Since then, however, the ministry has not explained the move, and neither Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley nor Financial Services and Economic Development Junior Minister Lorna Smith responded to Beacon requests for comment by press time Wednesday afternoon.
The original post, which was rescinded, declared that indefinite work permit exemptions “are no longer valid.”
The notice explained that workers with such exemptions under the “minister’s discretion” or “marriage” categories were required to put in for renewal applications, and those in the “education” bracket would need to apply for a work permit.
The notice added, “Approval of a work permit exemption is a privilege, and it does not represent a status.”
In 2021, a major review of the system introduced fixed-term approvals. Then-labour minister Vincent Wheatley told the House of Assembly at the time that the exemptions were never meant to be a permanent status akin to residency or belongership.
He added that the exemptions were awarded “at the discretion of the ministry of labour, and it is in no way meant to be considered as a permanent status, as it is indeed a privilege and not a right.”
Going forward, Mr. Wheatley said at the time, work permit exemptions would be attached to a specific employer.
“The intent here is to allow the holder of such an exemption to be more conscious of the importance of continued employment, which will be realised by the automatic cancellation of the exemption if a person changes his or her employer,” he said in April 2021.
Recent months have also seen fee increases for residency and immigration services, hiking the price of belonger and residence certificates, among others.
