Bar Association prepares response to citizenship and immigration proposals

The Barbados Bar Association has welcomed the government’s announcement that the proposed reforms will be circulated widely for public and stakeholder review.

President Kaye Williams said the association is also preparing a comprehensive report in response to the proposals, stressing that any changes must reflect the aspirations of the Barbadian people and align fully with the Constitution.

Government confirmed last week that the Citizenship Bill, 2025, and the Immigration Bill, 2025, will be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Governance for public and stakeholder consultation.

Public consultation on immigration and citizenship reform began in 2020. However, Williams said the framework for these discussions has shifted significantly since Barbados transitioned from a constitutional monarchy to a Parliamentary Republic in 2021.

“Stakeholder input is vital,” she noted, pointing out that the Bar’s review will also take into account recommendations from the Constitutional Reform Commission (CRC) on citizenship and immigration, which were released in 2024.

The CRC report, which consulted a broad cross-section of Barbadian society, including members of the diaspora, proposed a draft Bill to repeal and replace the current Constitution, with recommendations for amendments to the Barbados Citizenship Act, the Immigration Act, and other relevant legislation to ensure alignment with the new constitutional provisions.

“In Barbados and across the Commonwealth, citizenship rights are conferred and derived from fundamental constitutional rights. It is only logical to first examine the proposed constitutional provisions which frame citizenship,” Williams said. “All public authorities, and in this case, the Immigration Department, must act within the four corners of the instrument that is the source of its power. The Constitution is the supreme law of Barbados. If any other law is inconsistent with the Constitution, it shall be void to the extent of that inconsistency.”

Williams stressed that the Bar’s review will consider amendments to key legislation in tandem with proposed constitutional changes.

“The Constitution confers rights of citizenship, so the provisions of the Constitution should inform the Citizenship and Immigration Bills,” she said. “The Bar is of the view that these Bills be considered step in step with public views and Constitutional reform.” 

(BT)