by RICKY JORDAN

GOVERNMENT has so far received about 300 applications for amnesty for immigrants living illegally in the island.

Prime Minister David Thompson made the revelation during last night's live televised Press conference from Ilaro Court.

He said that process had suffered some delays mainly due to problems relating to the issuance of police certificates of character; but once all the issues were resolved, his administration would be ensuring that all aspects of the new immigration policy would be fully enforced in the new year.

"When the amnesty period is over on December 31, then the sanctions, if you want to call it that, or the second part of the policy then kicks in, which is the removal of those who are here illegally. Nothing has changed. That is still the Government's policy," he stressed.

He also said there was a backlog of 6 000 applications seeking regular immigrant status and citizenship, a figure he had also revealed three months ago. These, however, had to take their normal course of processing.

He added that against the backdrop of such a backlog, Government would have to amend the law in order to set up five tribunals, headed by five people who are not ministers, and who would clear the backlog and any appeals.

He added that as a result, the Immigration Department would be able to work on the new applications and once a determination had been made, any immigrant whose appeal was turned down would be expected to leave Barbados.

Thompson said he had been approached by various organisations, including the Honorary Consul for Guyana, regarding applications for immigrant status and residency.

He noted that "illegal immigrants are removed every day in Barbados", and that the process continued in a variety of ways: either voluntarily or otherwise, including those deported for criminal activity.

"I don't think many people know: a number of people were asked to leave the island pursuant to the cruise on which they found guns and illegal drugs recently. As a result of police investigations, a number of people on that cruise were found to be illegal. They were asked to leave," he stated as an example of deportations.

Stressing that the much touted Green Paper on Immigration merely raised issues and was not settled policy, the Prime Minister said there was no final decision yet on overall immigration matters.

"However, once a decision is made, there will be a rigorous implementation of our immigration policy. I've said so from the beginning and I remain absolutely committed to that particular objective," he told the media. "I am firm on that."

In May, the Prime Minister announced an amnesty for thousands of undocumented CARICOM nationals in Barbados. He said, however, they must meet certain qualifying standards to regularise their immigration status, among them proof of employment, passing of background security checks, and substantiating a claim that they lived in Barbados for at least eight years prior to December 31, 2005.