With unemployment expected to reach an all-time high due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Acting Director of Labour John Pinder said the issuance of work permits will only be considered in special circumstances.
Pinder said because he anticipates well over 20,000 people have been temporarily laid off and at least 5,000 have already lost their jobs, work permit approvals and renewals will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
“Only because the government has allowed construction to continue in the Family Islands, I know Baker’s Bay was trying to get started, so we may have to consider that. They say they want to bring in some chief engineer to get that project started. But like the prime minister has indicated and I said the same thing too, if no planes are moving nobody can come now. Nobody is moving to go out and nobody is moving to come in,” he said.
“But now I have some persons here, some employers who have made requests for some persons who are still employed in The Bahamas are still working, but their work permits are about to expire, so we have to give consideration to those because they can’t be in the country illegally.”
The most recent data from the Department of Immigration shows that there are 11,276 work permit holders in the country.
Those who have been laid off are left in a precarious position, as they are unable to earn a living and are ineligible for unemployment benefits made available through the National Insurance Board (NIB).
Pinder said employers who have laid off their employees with work permits must ensure they return to their place of origin once borders are reopened.
The post Pinder: Work permit renewals given special consideration appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/24/pinder-work-permit-renewals-given-special-consideration/
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