St. Kitts: Gov’t to clamp down on sham marriages

Basseterre, St. Kitts CMC – The St. Kitts-Nevis government says a committee has been set up to investigate cases of sham marriages in the twin island federation.

“A committee has been put together to evaluate this and the Attorney General is part of that committee along with the Permanent Secretary (in the Ministry of National Security) and persons from the police force and immigration to look at these types of marriages,”  said Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew told a news conference.

“We’ve always had an open immigration policy but we want people to follow the rules and regulations. We are extremely disappointed that this took place under the former administration. It was facilitated,” said Prime Minister Drew, who is also the Minister of National Security.

Last December, Prime Minister Drew said the authorities had uncovered “a ring” facilitating illegal marriages taking place here, and raising the possibility that the twin island federation is being used for human trafficking.

Drew told Parliament the illegal marriages involved individuals from the Spanish-speaking countries that allows them to be granted citizenship and voting rights.

He told Parliament then that there is somebody in Santo Domingo who’s charging a lot of money for a visa.

“You pay them for a visa there, they have a connection here. So you buy a plane ticket and you come in with your very expensive visa of which this Government is only making 10 per cent. When they come in Madam Speaker, a husband or wife is waiting for them.”

Prime Minister Drew told legislators that they then get married, resulting in the payment of more money. He said that while it is possible that some of the marriages are genuine, some of the individuals involved in the marriage ring have been abusing the system, by marrying and divorcing several times to gain money.

Speaking at a news conference here, Prime Minister Drew said “people’s citizenship will be taken back and their names will be taken off the registration of voters because if the marriage is illegal, the citizenship is illegal so it means your registration is illegal.

“But at the same time we are going to put an amnesty in place because we understand that there are good actors within the immigrant community to give them an opportunity to register properly and to say to them that we are not an inhumane government,” he told reporters.

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