Acting Premier and Minister of BorderControl, Hon. Sean Astwood, has highlighted the growing concern of overstayersin the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and outlined plans for a tougher stanceon addressing the issue. In an interview with The SUN, Astwood explainedthat while both illegal entry and overstaying breach immigration laws, thelatter involves individuals who initially entered the country legally butfailed to leave after their visa or work permit expired. “It is only commonsense that they be treated differently,” he said, adding that the government isconsidering how strict enforcement should be for overstayers.

Astwood pointed to the Cayman Islands as amodel, where overstaying is treated as a serious crime, often barring violatorsfrom re-entering or obtaining work permits. TCI has taken a more flexibleapproach, with makeshift policies repatriating individuals who overstayed byweeks or months but imposing harsher penalties, including being added to thestop list, for those who have overstayed for a year or more without attemptingto regularize their status. To encourage compliance, Astwood launched a grace periodin August 2016, allowing overstayers to voluntarily leave the country andreturn later with legal status. He noted that many took advantage of thisopportunity and have since re-entered TCI on proper work permits.

Astwood emphasized that enforcement is notabout “hunting people down” but pushing individuals and employers to complywith immigration laws. He has consistently urged employers to ensure theiremployees’ work permits are up to date and has encouraged individuals toregularize their status to avoid penalties. While taking a firm stance onimmigration enforcement, Astwood also acknowledged the systemic challenges,including processing delays, and emphasized balancing enforcement with theserealities. "We don’t want to send the message that persons can continue tostay illegally and eventually find a way to sort it out," he said,stressing the importance of upholding the law while improving administrativesystems to prevent future issues.