Minister of National Security Lists Requirements for Issuing Work Permits

The Minister of National Security, Rayburn Blackmoore, has listed out the requirements for issuing work permits to non-Dominican nationals aiming to work in the country. The minister took the pains to list out the conditions for issuing work permit given the controversy surrounding the wrongful issuance of permits to certain aliens in recent months.

Blackmoore said the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Division of Labour and Immigration discarded the old process for issuing work permits in 2020 and replaced it with a more legitimate and foolproof system. He said the new system implemented by the government is seamless, more secured, and ensures a faster service delivery.

According to the minister, all individuals intending to obtain work permits in Dominica must fulfill the following conditions:

• Interested non-citizens who desire to work in Dominica must be above the age of 18 and they must fill out the work permit application form
• Interested applicants must provide the following documents with their work permit form –
  1. Medical certificate proving that the applicant is not suffering from any communicable disease
  2. Letter from the sponsor (employer)
  3. Police clearance from the applicant’s home country
  4. Evidence of return ticket to applicant’s own country or proof of deposit for the said ticket
  5. Two passport photographs
• Application fee of $800 for non-CARICOM members or $250 for CARICOM members paid to the government treasury department
• Marriage certificate where applicable
• Testimonial from a former employer
• Three copies of a consecutive job advert in a national newspaper
• An international passport that remains valid for at least six months
• The immigration department must grant first-time applicants an extension of stay before they apply for work permit
• Other documents such as –
  1. Bank statement
  2. Certificate of registration business
  3. Proof of land ownership or lease if the applicant desires to go into farming

Blackmoore added that any alien caught in Dominica without a valid work permit or one obtained through the wrong channel will be dealt with by the government.

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