In an Immigration Revocation Order, signed by President Irfaan Ali and published in the Official Gazette on June 22, 2021, Haiti has been removed from the list of countries that enjoy visa-free travel to Guyana.
Haiti was added to the list through an Order under the Immigration Act in January 2019 by former President, David Granger.
President Ali in his new June 2021 Order has revoked the 2019 Order in its entirety.
This means that Haiti, although a sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, has been removed from the list of visa-free countries and its nationals will no longer enjoy the automatic six-month stay upon arrival here.
Despite becoming a full member of the 15-member regional integration grouping in 2002, as well as being a signatory to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) in 2006, Haiti does not qualify for the purpose of free movement and had to obtain a visa to travel within CARICOM member states.
As a consequence, Haitians do not enjoy the automatic six-month stay on entry to other CARICOM countries. Guyana, however, had extended the courtesy of allowing the automatic six-month stay, even though it was not required to do so.
With Guyana revoking its visa-free requirement, this means that only two countries in the Caribbean continue to afford Haitians visa-free entry, all other Caribbean countries have imposed visa requirements.
The decision was taken by the Guyana Government after it was found that over the last six years, thousands of Haitians who arrived in Guyana did not leave through the legal channels.
Between 2015 and 2021, a total of 42, 100 Haitian nationals are recorded to have arrived in Guyana, according to figures confirmed by the News Room, but of that number, only 3,913 persons are recorded to have departed.
This means that a total of 38,187 Haitians are unaccounted for but local authorities do not believe they are here. The figures have given rise to the suspicion that the Haitians are a part of human trafficking and human smuggling ring of international proportions using Guyana as a transshipment point to get to other countries.
A look at the figures for the first five months of 2021 shows that while 1, 378 Haitians arrived in the country, only 165 departed, leaving 1,213 unaccounted for.
During 2020, the country recorded the highest influx of Haitians, amounting to 9, 239. But again, the figures confirm the grim reality where only 717 departed Guyana through legal means, leaving 8,522 unaccounted for.
The trend was the same in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 showing the arrival of thousands of Haitians with a few hundred leaving.
In February 2021, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested 26 Haitians who entered Bom Fim illegally from Guyana through Lethem. Also, two weeks ago, local police arrested a number of Haitians in close vicinity to Lethem, Region 9.
Several others found subsequently at a hotel in Region Six claimed they were left there by person (s) who they claimed brought them into Guyana through Suriname and took away their passports and other documents.
This had given rise to renewed discussions at the highest level of government to impose visa requirements that would target Haitians and Cubans.
It has long been suspected that there is a huge trafficking in persons and human smuggling ring, including children, taking place in the Region, and Guyana is being used as a transit point in this racket.
The Brazilian Government has already expressed concern about the situation. The Surinamese government has also shared intelligence which suggests that the racket extends to that neighbouring Republic.
Watch de rigging crew get indignant. Fact is a sovereign nation did not sign a treaty that forces them to be part of criminal activity. If 38,000 Haitians jumped out the border than Visas are indeed required . For those that want to come here for work or other lawful activity ….that is another matter and plenty of opportunity in that regard.