76 Foreigners Receive Belizean Nationality

They hail from nineteen countries around the world and on Monday seventy-six foreigners officially became Belizeans. A swearing-in ceremony was held at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development and it was the first for 2019. The new Belizeans were told that they are now afforded the rights of true Belizeans, including the right to vote in elections, including the upcoming I.C.J. referendum on April tenth. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo reports.

(Singing National Anthem)

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

Seventy-six foreigners, with their eyes glued to the lyrics of the Belizean National Anthem, stood at attention on Monday during a swearing-in ceremony at the George Price Centre in Belmopan. The foreigners, now officially Belizeans, are originally from nineteen countries except from Guatemala. They came from around the world, from countries like France, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, India, China, and the U.S.A. They received Belizean citizenships and took the oath to bear true faith and allegiance to the Jewel.

New Belizeans

 “And that I will faithfully and conscientiously contribute to the development of Belize.”

Edmund Zuniga

Edmund Zuniga, C.E.O., Ministry of Immigration

“This ceremony marks the end of a journey of waiting to have your documentation finalized in order to become a Belizean citizen. I know that some of you have been waiting for several years. But it also begins a new journey which as a citizen of Belize you will expect to continue to uphold the constitution and the laws of Belize among other obligations.”

The nationality certificates were signed and approved by Minister of State responsible for Immigration Beverly Williams with the recommendation of the Nationality Scrutinizing Committee. Minister Williams advised the new Belizeans that they must live and operate within the law.

Beverly Williams

Beverly Williams, Minister of State, Immigration

“I did not know, I’ve signed all those nationality certificates and did not know I would see seventy-six. I was really feeling a little bit put out when I came through the door and saw so many people. Welcome to Belize. Ne brothers and sisters as indicated before, you are now nationals of Belize. You are now full-blown Belizean style; from many cultures, we build one nation, peaceful Belize, a haven of democracy. Look at the constitution of Belize and how those pledges are embedded right there and the dos and don’ts. You are now Belizeans with all the rights that are all conferred to you as a Belizean. So it gives you your rights but your obligations are also defined. You said that you will stay away from the criminal activity so we want to continue a peaceful haven of democracy.”

While there are three categories for how a foreign national can obtain Belizean citizenship, these seventy-six new Belizeans applied for their nationality after meeting the residency requirement. They have been continuously living in Belize for a year. The diverse group has been waiting for this day for years. The backlog at the Passport and Nationality Section has the process of granting Belizean citizenship sluggish as explained by Director Mario Arzu,

Mario Arzu

Mario Arzu, Director, Passport & Nationality Section

“We process applications in certain packages. Applications that came in January are processed together so that one, we can capture everybody. Because that was one of the reasons why backlogs existed, that they were doing selective processing if you want to use that term. When we took over the Nationality and Passport Department we had over seven hundred applications that were sitting there for whatever reasons.”

Hipolito Novelo, News Five.