FM Courtenay Gives Update on Amnesty Program

On Wednesday, the media got an interview with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration. We took the opportunity to get an update on the amnesty program, for which the deadline for applications closed in March of this year. While the estimation is that there are over forty thousand unregulated migrants in the country, only over twelve thousand applied. But as Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay told us, not all will pass the vetting process. He outlines what happens next.

Eamon Courtenay

Eamon Courtenay, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“Twelve thousand, seven hundred and sixty-five, I believe, people applied. That is lower than we expected. We know why. We still be that there are a lot of people in Belize in irregular status and we have to decide how we are going to address that. They are going through the process now of vetting each application. The biggest delay is the national security check that has to be done. Each and every single person who is an adult has to be checked by the national security, by the police, to make sure that they are not gang members, to make sure that they don’t have any background that they are running from some criminal offense or anything like that. So that process is ongoing. Once that is finish, we should be able to them process their applications. Those who don’t meet the criteria, well, they will be refused and they will be given an opportunity to apply for visas. If they don’t apply for visas to remain, then they will have to leave.”