EDITOR, The Tribune.
Please publish this open letter to:
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Fred Mitchell
Re: CHANGE IN PERMANENT RESIDENCE CERTIFICATE PRICE
Dear Minister Mitchell,
I was compelled to respond in writing by way of an open letter to the editor.
While reading The Tribune for Thursday, February 26, 2015, I was shocked to learn that the price for a permanent residence certificate had increased to five thousand dollars ($5,000).
While the other prices are livable, I would like to know why is it that an individual who has held a work permit for 20 years has to wait so long before being granted a Permanent Residence Certificate? I know many foreign nationals who have been here for 15, 17, 18, 20 and 30 years who applied for a Permanent Residence Certificate and has not received it.
Oftentimes when they go to check on the status, either their Birth Certificate or some other important document has been misplaced. As this is not the fault of the applicant, unless the lost documents are replaced at an additional cost to the applicant, their paperwork cannot be processed.
Honourable Minister, I truly believe that the Cabinet does not have the fear of God, for this government has shown no mercy to those individuals who have paid their National Insurance and Work Permit fees over all these years with a decrease in the Permanent Residence Fee as they have been paying all this time.
Imagine one paying the government all this time and to be slammed with a fee increase from $1,000 to $5,000 for Permanent Residency.
The government should have consulted with Ministers of Religion and Civil Society to see if they were on the right track with this new excessive fees. For I can tell you from my personal experience as a servant of the most high God, that God is not pleased with this immoral decision.
I can see you charging Corporate Bahamas this humongous fee for bringing in high level executives who would eventually teach and train a qualified
Bahamian to later replace them, but not the gardeners, domestic workers and caretakers employed on the lower paying end of the strata.
The cabinet needs to really rethink this fee as there are many Bahamians who cannot afford to pay this fee.
GLORIA PRATT
Nassau,
March 2, 2015
Comments
Sickened 9 years, 1 month ago
Ms. Pratt, I hate to talk down about your beliefs but you know deep down that no true God would let what is happening to our Bahamaland go unpunished. Talk to your God and ask him to punish each and every criminal in The Bahamas and to send them to Hell immediately. Nothing good can come from keeping these criminals alive.
ohdrap4 9 years, 1 month ago
i do not understand this, Bahamians do not pay for permanent residency because they are citizens.
What is going to affect many work permit holders is the requirement of health insurance that costs hundreds of dollars. Not an issue in the financial industry, but serious otherwise.
bigbadbob 9 years, 1 month ago
its 10,000 not 5,000 we waited 12 years .
birdiestrachan 9 years, 1 month ago
Does any one know what the certificate cost in other parts of the world? As for the Cabinet not fearing God and the writer serving the most High God. Please, that is not called for because all of sinned and come short of the glory of God. And if we keep this ever before us we will do well. No one has the right to question another person about their relation ship with God. That is between the person and God.
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