The government of the British Virgin Islands will provide financial assistance to expatriate workers who wish to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic
After several weeks of considering the option, the government of the British Virgin Islands has committed to providing financial assistance to expatriate workers who have lost employment and now seek to return to their home countries.
Vincent Wheatley, the minister for natural resources, labour and immigration said in a statement given in the House of Assembly that the Department of Immigration and Labour and the Department of Workforce Development had been faced with a sharp rise in the number of persons who have been laid off or made redundant from their places of employment because of the pandemic in recent months.
Current government policy enables such persons to apply for a conditional permit to seek other employment in the territory however in order to qualify for a conditional permit, a person must meet certain criteria including having lived in the territory for a minimum of five years. As not everyone may be eligible for the issue of a conditional permit or be successful in finding alternative employment, such persons will be required to leave the territory.
Persons who are interested in repatriating to their home countries have been invited to contact the immigration department to register to receive assistance.
