The Honorary Jamaican Consul has been inundated with calls regarding the proposed introduction of visas for Jamaican nationals.
Mr. Robert Hamaty said that, on the whole, the response from the Jamaican community had been positive, with law-abiding citizens having no objection to the new system.
The news has been met with dismay by others in the community.
The Cayman Islands government is proposing to introduce visas for Jamaicans as from next week, although Mr. Hamaty has asked for a two-week delay in implementing the regulations.
The proposals are part of an initiative outlined by the Chamber of Commerce to fight crime by introducing visa for nations from high risk countries.
Mr. Donovan Ebanks, deputy Chief Secretary, whose office is handling the implementation of the visas, declined either to give further details of the new requirements for Jamaicans or to disclose which other nationalities might be affected by the proposed incoming visa system.
‘Jamaicans cannot bury their heads in the sand and say that it is not a high crime area,’ said Mr. Hamaty.
‘The majority of people who have come to me feel this does not affect law-abiding citizens.’
Mr. Hamaty pointed out that a visa system for Jamaican nationals was nothing new and that many countries in the world, including the UK, US and Canada, already have these requirements in place.
‘Every country has the right to protect its borders and a screening process is necessary,’ he said.
Mr. Hamaty stressed that citizens from some countries also require a visa before visiting Jamaica.
‘For example, Haiti nationals require a visa before going to Jamaica,’ he said. ‘Jamaica is a poor country but compared to Haiti it seems a very attractive place to go.’
Mr. Hamaty also pointed out that Caymanians who do not hold British passports require visas to enter the UK or the US.
Jamaicans account for around half of the ex-pat workforce in Cayman.
According to Mr. Hamaty, the introduction of visas is partly in response to the high numbers of Jamaicans arriving in Cayman looking for work since Hurricane Ivan.
‘Cayman does not have the infrastructure to handle this,’ he said.
But he stressed that there was no evidence to link Jamaicans to the current increase in crime.
Out of 178 prisoners in Cayman, only 30 were Jamaicans nationals, as of August 1.
Mr. Hamaty pointed to the strong links between Cayman and Jamaica and the positive contributions which Jamaicans have made to society here.
‘Jamaica is not the only country to be affected by these new measures and I would not like it to seem that we are being targeted,’ he said.
Jamaican nationals who hold visas for the US, UK or Canada will be exempt from the new Cayman Islands’ requirements.
Citizens from several countries around the world do not need visas to visit Cayman at the moment but this is expected to change under current proposals.
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