'We have to put the brakes' on
According to Skelton-Cline, the recent Immigration and Passport Act should have included provisions related to a quota-setting committee, which was incorporated in the act. The Immigration and Pass...
According to Skelton-Cline, the recent Immigration and Passport Act should have included provisions related to a quota-setting committee, which was incorporated in the act. The Immigration and Passport Act of 2025 states that the Board of Immigration will be responsible for recommending annual immigration quotas for residence or Belonger certificates to the Cabinet in accordance with the quota-setting objectives and the capacity of the Territory. "I want to ask the government and I want you to ask your representatives, 'why and where is the committee that should be established relative to the issuance of belongership status in this country?'" Skelton-Cline said during his "Honestly Speaking" programme on Wednesday, September 17, 2025. 'Put some brakes on certain areas' Noting that if the Virgin Islands continue along its current path of issuing belonger status, "we're going to lose this country, hook, line, and sinker", Skelton-Cline emphasised that Belonger status is a privilege, not a right; however, they should not have a say on the matter of independence. "At what point do you put up some boundaries so you are not completely overrun?" According to the commentator, a "brakes" need to be put on the issuing of belonger status, and that right now there are 600 applications for belongership pending.
He also reminded that 1200 belongership statuses were issued under the Fast Track Programme. "We now have to put some qualifiers..We got to think. We have to look at the facts, look at the numbers, [and] ask for this quota committee, put some brakes on certain areas on this belongership status," Skelton-Cline stated.
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