New rates for permanent residents

In other police news, Minister Espat met with formation commanders this morning in Belmopan. He congratulated the senior police command for their work to fight drug trafficking which he says has resulted in Belize being certified by the United States. He also stressed the need for the police to continue arresting and prosecuting sexual offenders, particularly those who assault minors. At the end of the meeting he signed a statutory instrument raising the pay provided to police officers performing special functions such as escort service. Corporals and constables will receive a two dollar per hour increase, from four to six dollars. Sergeants and inspectors will get fifty cents more, making the maximum they get seven dollars and fifty cents. Minister Espat also signed two statutory instruments today relating to immigration and nationality. These designate new rates for work permits, nationality and residents permits. The rates vary widely for permanent residence permits and depend on the nationality of the applicant. Those from Mexico and Guatemala only pay two hundred and fifty dollars while others from Central America will pay more than twice that or five hundred and twenty five dollars. Those from Commonwealth countries will pay one thousand dollars while anyone from the People’s Republic of China will pay a whopping three thousand dollars. News Five asked Minister Espat why there is such a great disparity.

Jorge Espat, Minister of National Security

“It’s a reflection of the cost of repatriation so that for example if a citizen of the Middle East or a citizen of Africa, or a citizen of Asia commits a crime in Belize that individual may have to be deported. It would then cost the tax payers of Belize to put him or her on a plane and then we would have to bare the cost. So what we have done is we have calculated based on the air fare for example, based on the cost of holding you, feeding you for a day or two what it would coast to repatriate you. So for example the Guatemalans pay the lowest price because they are right next door, the Mexican, the Nicaraguans, the Hondurans a little higher; the Asians even higher like the mainland Chinese have to pay $3,000, because to get them back to their country is far more expensive than deporting someone and putting them across the western border.”