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From October 1st, 2025, Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) will have complete freedom of movement of nationals between these countries.

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, July 14, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that people can move with their families and they will have certain basic contingent rights.

The Prime Minister said that before, people who worked in places like Barbados without a work permit were breaking the law but after October 1st, 2025 that will change. He added that there were other countries which wanted to implement the free movement, but have some reservations on some issues.

“The freedom of movement is that some countries have taken advantage of what we call the enhanced regime of cooperation. Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, they are re-instituting complete freedom of movement between our countries by October the 1st,” Dr. Gonsalves said.

The Prime Minister said discussions on the free movement for nationals within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) was part of the agenda at the Forty-ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the CARICOM.

“As you know, at the moment, the OECS countries, the six independent OECS countries…we have complete freedom of movement, but in CARICOM, what we had is six months indefinite stay, providing you’re not a security risk, and you have enough money when you come to stay for the time the immigration officer gives you. But, unless you had a CARICOM skills national certificate, you had to get a work permit, and a CARICOM skills national certificate was for certain categories but of course, over the years, the categories have expanded,” the Prime Minister said.

He also noted that at the Forty-Ninth Regular Meeting, there was an expansion for aircraft personnel (people involved in maintenance), and the entire set of skills and traits related to this to be included.

“…what it means now, our Garifuna brothers and sisters in Belize, who want to come and spend more time here, don't just come for the six months. They can come and work if they want. Vincentians can go down to Belize if they want. And we have to learn in the same way we have the freedom of movement between persons in the OECS, Grenada and Dominica and Saint Lucia and Antiguans and so on and so forth,” the Prime Minister said.

SOURCE: The Agency for Public Information (API)