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WP exemptions to end with divorce unless domestic violence involved- Hon Wheatley
The Minister made the announcement during the September 13, 2021, episode of The Big Story with Cathy O. Richards, while discussing the work permit revision policy.
“So, you marry to someone today, you get your exemption in two weeks, if you break up next year, the exemption breaks up too,” he said.
Hon Wheatley said unless certified domestic violence is involved, that is, certified through the court, only then will persons be able to keep the exemptions.
As previously announced, the revised policy provides for work permit exemptions that could also be retained, if the holder has at any time obtained a protection order against their spouse.
Sweeping changes to policy
With effect from August 23, 2021, the policy also states that if a married couple is divorced, legally separated or residing outside of the Territory, as per Section 16(9) of the Immigration and Passport Act, for over 90 days without previous permission, the awarded exemption is to be considered revoked, Cabinet said.
Cabinet on August 18, 2021, also warned that work permit exemption applications from spouses residing outside of the territory will be denied and noted that the marriage category of work permit exemption will be linked to a specific employer
Hon Wheatley said the policy, “Will avoid from persons getting the work exemption and treating it like belonger status and you can work anywhere they want,” he said.
“It’s to help protect our people from somebody doing four and five jobs when somebody else has none,” he said.
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37 Responses to “WP exemptions to end with divorce unless domestic violence involved- Hon Wheatley ”
True colours is shining through.
Everyday is something new.
My spouse and I have been married for more than 10 years with children and this is the only status he has here, WP Exemption. He does not care to obtain Belonger status, just the freedom to work to support his family. It is hard when work opportunities are not so easily found when there are limited positions in your profession, especially one that should be in high demand and is much needed but in the VI market it is too small to have sufficient positions open. One is forced to leave and come back multiple times because of many unplanned circumstances (Irma happened/now Covid/loss of work). A person who has paid their dues in society with WP exemption should be given certain privileges such as residency status, not to be tied to an employer if that person has family connection here, such as a spouse and children. There are husbands and wives who did not stay here 5 years consecutively to be given the opportunity to apply for Belonger status according to the law. Your WP exemption policy does not take that into account. A spouse with WP Exemption may have been married to a person for more than 10 years but worked in VI for at least 5 years but not consecutively and has a clean criminal background. etc. He or she will not qualify to apply for Belonger status based on your new WP Exemption policy of applying on the 6th year. I believe you need to go back to the drawing board on this policy.
You will soon find that some young VIlanders who wish to stay in the VI will have to leave to keep the family together to continue to prosper peacefully.
The laws should not be contributing towards divorce/separation/domestic violence rates. If a spouse married to local loses work he or she should have the freedom to seek work with a new employer. Frustration with the system would cause the aforementioned rates to go up. A person's criminal background, years married, profession, ties to the VI, written request from VI local(spouse), etc. should be considered to grant residency without the right to vote/own land unless he or she meets other stringent requirements. In my spouse's country abroad I can easily apply for residency status to seek employment without all the hurdles we have here.
Our laws need to be encourage togetherness, not to create more confusion and uncertainty in an already uncertain time like this that we are living in now.
It got nothing to do with how many jobs a person hold, because their is no way you can try to keep an expat from doing so. It have two foreigners who holds two jobs in the BVI and they don't live here, each October they come to renew their work permit, and return to their homeland. But it is not much person if any at all who are in this same field of work, they do. So how are you going to eliminate people from holding more than one jobs? they are people also who hold one job from American and one job in BVI as a WP holder, how you are going to stop them, there are not much man power to manage a Labour department. Now you want to have investigators for Work Permit Holder. Get the youth the jobs they needs, so many creative people sitting on the roadside and all you can come with is this foolishness. Get them to Farm, Fish and eat local food. Then you will see how your economy will grow, you don't have all the answers to manage this department. Youth are missing out in earnings, when each year they get nothing to invest in themselves or their country.
Imagine five years out of their life they earn nothing, it would mean they will have to double up their work, with another job , which increase to two jobs, just because their life span for working is 65 years, if they start at 18 or 19 years in working it means they have 46 or 47 years to work and its going to limit them further if they start late in life or get sick, some people barely get 25 years with the government 8 hours ,only to realize their is nothing saved and they got to now seeking another job after they retired. This is just not productive strategy. Keep focus on improving the youth.
What about those who come here form their countries, breaking up people married homes and living with their spouses and want to fight the husbands or wives for their own spouse, especially that Jamaican girl living *****’s bay. And all she does is having the man charging expats $2,000 to sign their work permit then running them down for the NHI and social security money but yet still they don’t pay any of these money to the government. That man was a good police officer until she break up the couple home. Something need to be done about these home wreckers.
I understand your point of view, but it got nothing much to do with the woman. Many of the BVI men drop their values when they see these expat girls. You as wife , need to let them go, there are too many fishes in the sea. If a man cannot keep himself to you as the wife, and you cannot convince him of the quality of life he should live then let am go. Those girls , would perhaps become women some day on the hard work of another man money.
Level you self up and move on, do things that will help you shine in life, if you speak one language it now time to learn another language. If you were cutting the budget so he can get a better designer pants, now find you self a stylist, work on you.
If you were dreaming about a business venture start putting your plan together and networking with people in your area of business, its about you and the child/children now. He just give you the time to work on you. Most often the husbands run right back to the wife with nothing, when he is empty he knows where to find fulfillment.
Hey, its an opportunity to lay your card on the table if you want him back. You always will have the power to do or not to do.
I'm about to send the divorce papers with her name in there so let me know if I can add the bit about losing my exemption to garner more court support.