Deputy Premier and Minister of ImmigrationHon. Sean Astwood expressed satisfaction with the success of the Turks andCaicos Islands’ first-ever immigration summit, held on August 9, 2018. Thelandmark event brought together former premiers, ministers, and policymakersfor bipartisan discussions on illegal migration, border protection, andpathways to citizenship.

Astwood emphasized the value of gatheringinsights from past leaders and policymakers to assess current efforts, learnfrom past failures, and integrate successes into future strategies. Key topicsincluded the introduction of a point system for TCI status applications, whichaims to provide clear guidelines for decision-making by the newly formed StatusCommission. The amendment enabling this was recently passed in the House ofAssembly.

The summit is the first step in a series ofplanned engagements, including public consultations to address economic aspectsof immigration, such as work permits and PRCs. Astwood stressed the importanceof fostering non-partisan collaboration to tackle immigration challengeseffectively. A second summit focusing on labor and economic policies isscheduled before the year’s end, as part of a broader effort to developcomprehensive and sustainable immigration strategies for the territory.