Government is forging ahead with plans to modernise its immigration and citizenship policy, in response to issues associated with a declining population and the future sustainability of the social security system.
Leading off debate on the Immigration Bill, 2026, and the Citizenship Bill, 2026, at yesterday’s sitting of the House of Assembly, Minister of Home Affairs and Information Gregory Nicholls said the matter needed to be addressed urgently.
“It is not an easy problem to fix, but certainly we must therefore move now to modernise the frameworks to ensure that our children who remain on this land are not saddled with a burden of dealing with all of us, while there are fewer and fewer of them,” he said.
Among other things, the Immigration Bill expands the eligibility for permanent residence in Barbados to include the spouses of Barbadian citizens, retirees with adequate financial means and their dependents.
“We cannot continue to scoff at the possibility that people who have means that want to come legitimately and live out the rest of their lives in Barbados, may have dependents that are attached to them for sustenance, and create an artificial distinction where we can want them to come, but those that depend on them cannot. This provision will encourage long-term residence among economically and selfsufficient individuals who contribute to the social fabric of Barbados and economic stability.”
The Immigration Bill also proposes to abolish the “outdated” category of immigrant status and provides a clearer pathway for existing immigrants to convert their status to permanent residency. It introduces a merit-based system, allowing individuals who meet certain criteria, including age, Barbadian lineage, education skills and financial resources, to apply for permanent residence.
“The focus here is on managing and retaining skilled migrants to come into the country, while addressing the loss of Barbadian talent,” Nicholls said, adding that some of the contemplated changes were being made in acknowledgement that there were “many skilled professionals . . . who call themselves Bajan, who live abroad”.
“These shortages constrain our investment productivity and diversification of the economy. This erosion of the productive population threatens the nation’s competitiveness. It limits our ability to attract investment and be able to make good on all of the things that attract people to Barbados. Without urgent action, Mr Speaker, these trends will continue and it will undermine the country’s output,” the St Thomas Member of Parliament warned.
The Citizenship Bill, 2026, debated cognately with the
Immigration Bill, 2026, seeks to create an easier pathway for Caribbean nationals to acquire Barbadian citizenship and all that it affords. Nicholls appealed to Barbadians to be more receptive to Caribbean nationals migrating here, while chiding them for the customary reception of their regional neighbours.
He suggested Government “has to look at the system under which our Immigration Department is organised through the law, and how people are able to gain citizenship and the other status that are set out under the Immigration Act and the Citizenship Act”.
Both pieces of legislation were sent to a Joint Standing Committee of Parliament, just like their predecessors, the Immigration Bill, 2025 and the Citizenship Bill, 2025. (GC)
