Haitians can stay in Trinidad and Tobago legally for at least six months

Citizens of Haiti can enter Trinidad and Tobago and have a legal stay of at least six months. Since the 2001 Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, the Government may not refuse their entry.

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Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, discussed this issue when speaking at UWI's CARICOM Leaders Lecture Series. The lecture, was titled "Free Movement of People- Shanique Myrie and our Caribbean Civilisation," and mainly brought to attention the implications of the ruling made last year in the case of Myrie vs The Government of Barbados. It was the case of Myrie, age 22, a Jamaican woman, who was denied entry to Barbados on illegal grounds. The lady was awarded US$40,000 in damages, as the court decided for her.

The issue is still open since the ROTC was not yet ratified by domestic legislation and therefore has no legal force. CCJ judges disputed the efficacy of the CARICOM regime, since the countries that decided to sign the treaty are able to nullify it, by not passing the appropriate domestic laws.

Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, observed that persons from any member state should be allowed to enter any other state without holding a passport or visa, should they have a university degree or a job as a journalist or artist or hold a CARICOM National Skills Certificate. The refusal of an "undesirable person" should exclusively be constructed on the grounds of: their posing a danger to public morals, security, health, or becoming a drain on public funds. Otherwise, the entire issue is far from being closed.

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