TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, CMC—The federal government of its British abroad territory is actively exploring the combination of its Customs and Immigration departments right into a unified Joint Border Management Drive.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley revealed this throughout a current tackle to parliament. He stated the merger is being thought-about to enhance border safety, streamline operations, and improve service supply.
“The Customs and Immigration Division serves as the primary line of protection in defending our borders and safeguarding nationwide safety,” he stated.
Whereas the proposal remains to be in its early levels, it follows a examine go to to the Cayman Islands in June 2024, the place BVI officers examined the Cayman Islands’ Customs and Border Management mannequin.
In response to the Premier, “It was evident that integrating border safety capabilities yields quite a few advantages,” together with improved operational effectivity, higher enforcement capabilities, and a smoother expertise for vacationers and companies.
In the meantime, he sought to guarantee the general public that regardless of the talks, there are not any quick plans to merge Customs and Immigration, and a structured transition plan is being developed to find out the legislative, operational, monetary, and human useful resource implications of merging Customs and Immigration.
“The proposal to determine a Joint Border Management Drive is being approached in a phased method,” he acknowledged, including that the plan will embrace stakeholder consultations, workers engagement, and border administration modernization.
Wheatley additionally emphasised that the transfer isn’t about downsizing or job losses however relatively about strengthening border safety and guaranteeing the financial stability of the Virgin Islands. “This initiative isn’t about job losses or downsizing, however relatively about constructing a extra strong and environment friendly border safety system,” he assured.
