Labour Department cracking down on illegal workers
The Labour and Workforce Development Department has announced it is stepping up efforts to tackle illegal employment in the Virgin Islands, with employers facing fines of up to $5,000 for hiring wo...
The Labour and Workforce Development Department has announced it is stepping up efforts to tackle illegal employment in the Virgin Islands, with employers facing fines of up to $5,000 for hiring workers without proper authorisation. Acting Labour Commissioner Mervin Hastings issued the warning during a recent job fair in the Third District.
He stressed that both workers and employers will now be held accountable under updated immigration rules. “We have a major problem in the Virgin Islands when it comes to — we all know this — a lot of illegal workers. We have a lot of people that come on vacation and they end up working for a month or two.
We have people that come and they overstay their time and they’re working,” Hastings stated. Hastings explained that although the department does not yet have a dedicated labour protection unit, inspections will be carried out. “We’re going to be out doing some inspections. So we’re giving you a warning here today, that if you have any illegal workers that you know that are working illegally, make them legal.
Have them leave the territory, put in a work permit for them, register them in the system, and get them legally employed with yourself,” he urged. He noted that in the past, penalties were only applied to employees found working illegally. However, changes made last year allow for compound fines. “Luckily, now, they can give a $5,000 fine to both the employee and the employer, a compound fine.
So both the employer and the employee can be punished with a fine right now, which is good. Because before, only the employee was getting punished, and that was not fair,” Hastings explained. The Acting Commissioner also outlined the department’s employment priority scale, which places Virgin Islanders and Belongers at the top. “My minister, the premier, he’s the minister responsible for labour right now.
He said he wants the Labour Department to do one thing. He wants to employ Virgin Islanders and Belongers. If we can’t find a post for that, we’re going to go to residents,” Hastings stated. He added that local expatriates should be considered before new workers are brought in. “If you’re an expat living in the Virgin Islands, we would prefer to hire someone living and residing here rather than bringing a new person in,” he explained.
The announcement comes amid longstanding concerns about illegal labour in the BVI. Reports in recent years highlighted the challenges of enforcement due to limited resources and loopholes that allowed tourists and overstayers to find work in the territory. The Labour Department’s move signals a renewed push to regulate the workforce and ensure compliance with immigration and labour laws.
Primary source: BVI News