G.O.B. Provides Update on Citizenship in 2014

Dean Barrow

Friday’s House meeting was cut short after the Opposition People’s United Party walked out in protest, but a lot was still said inside and outside the House. The P.U.P. used one of its questions to find out how many Guatemalans became citizens in 2014. It is all relevant because the new citizens eventually make their way on to the voters list. Since the appointed Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse, does not sit in the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister handled that query.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“The answer is one hundred and four Guatemalans were sworn in and became Belizean citizens after renouncing their Guatemalan nationality and completing the necessary processes. Just for the sake of completeness, there were three swearing in ceremonies during that year, and a total of four hundred and thirty-nine persons altogether became citizens during that period. The other nationalities are Hondurans, sixty-one; Salvadorans, thirty-seven; Chinese, thirty-four; Americans, thirty; Mexicans, eight; Lebanese, five; Jamaicans, four; people from Liechtenstein, one; two from the Philippines; nine from Nicaragua; nine from India; fourteen from Nigeria; three British persons; two from Pakistan; two from Panama; three from Columbia; two from Taiwan; one from Belarus; one from Canada; one from Syria; one from Trinidad and Tobago and three Venezuelans.”

From our research, Guatemalans make the largest group to receive citizenship.