Montserrat tightens immigration laws

The government of Montserrat says it will be tightening its work permit policy as of next week.



Labour commissioner Claude Hogan says that from December 1, the government would stick to provisions of the Immigration Act.



Under the act, job seekers are required to first have an invitation for employment before migrating to the island.



Mr. Hogan says the government is not adopting a policy against non-nationals, but merely taking a more proactive approach in anticipation of less jobs being available.



He says this was expected in part because of the current global financial crisis.