CARICOM Nations Establish Free Movement Agreement
Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have signed a groundbreaking free movement agreement that grants their citizens the ability to live, travel, and work indefinitely across the participating nations without the need for visas or work permits, reports 24brussels.
The newly created agreement allows citizens moving between the four nations to have their passports marked or digitally recorded, signifying their authorized indefinite stay. Additionally, incoming travelers will register for access to essential services such as education and healthcare.
This initiative aims to strengthen the principle of free movement. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves criticized the previous framework, which primarily facilitated work-related mobility while limiting family access to services, referring to it as “hollow.”
To address public safety concerns, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley assured that appropriate measures, including vetting systems, are in place for incoming travelers. She noted that any government has the authority to “refuse entry to a person who poses a genuine threat to national security.”
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), a 15-member regional trade bloc, has spearheaded this initiative. Historically, CARICOM nationals could only move freely for designated economic reasons. The new protocol significantly expands this scope, permitting relocation for leisure and other personal reasons.
This enhanced collaboration was made feasible by a 2022 CARICOM protocol that permits smaller member groups to advance integration efforts without requiring unanimous consent. Notably, while Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines previously had a similar arrangement under the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), this marks the inaugural such agreement for Belize and Barbados.
