Gov’t moving to regularise foreign nationals due to COVID situation

BELMOPAN (CMC):

The Belize government says it is seeking to address the situation of migrants thrust into an irregular situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government said it is moving to regularise those migrants in keeping with the United Nations Global Compact for a safe, orderly, and regular migration.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, said it is inviting migrants who now seek to remedy their situation to visit the nearest immigration office in the district towns or cities to seek assistance during this period.

“Migrants who entered the country legally and who require visitor’s permit extensions to remain in Belize, and who have not been able to maintain a regular status between April 2020 and September 2021, will be regularised” during a special regularisation period from October 1 through to December 31 this year.

The ministry said that a regularisation fee of BZ$100 (one Belize dollar=US$0.49 cents) must be paid at the time of application, and that visitor’s permit-extension fees for the period March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, will be waived.