Category: News

The Trump administration is preparing to shutter all 21 international offices of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a move that could slow the processing of family visa applications, foreign adoptions and citizenship petitions from members of the military.

USCIS Director Francis Cissna said in an email to staffers Tuesday that he is working to transfer those duties — now performed by employees worldwide — to domestic offices and the State Department’s embassies and consulates. He wrote that if the State Department agrees, the agency would move to close its international field offices in coming months “in an effort to maximize our agency’s finite resources.”

“I believe by doing so, we will better leverage our funds to address backlogs in the United States while also leveraging existing Department of State resources at post,” he wrote. “Change can be difficult and can cause consternation. I want to assure you we will work to make this as smooth a transition as possible for each of our USCIS staff while also ensuring that those utilizing our services may continue to do so and our agency operations continue undisrupted.”

The shift will ripple to offices in New Delhi, Rome, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and numerous other cities where the agency has offices that handle emergencies, alleviate backlogs in immigration petitions, and provide direct information in foreign languages. USCIS foreign offices also investigate fraud.

Generally, the offices facilitate applications from potential immigrants to the U.S.; closing the offices would reassign about 70 USCIS staffers across the world who the agency’s website says provide “valuable information services” and solve a wide array of problems, from aiding someone who lost a green card to helping widows of American citizens and members of the military obtain legal documents.

The move comes as the Trump administration is pressing to tighten the nation’s immigration controls and to shift from family reunification to merit-based immigration. Department of Homeland Security officials say it is part of an overall effort to streamline U.S. immigration operations.

A senior DHS official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a decision that has yet to be announced publicly said it primarily is a cost-saving measure that will hand off responsibilities to State Department and DHS personnel working abroad.

The USCIS International Operations Division, under the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate, has about 240 employees in the U.S. and in two dozen field offices in 21 countries, and is “charged with advancing the USCIS mission in the international arena,” according to materials on the agency’s website.

“Reuniting families, enabling adoptive children to come to join permanent families in the U.S., considering parole requests from individuals outside the U.S. for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, and providing information services and travel documents to people around the world — all with unique needs and circumstances — are just a few of the responsibilities our officers assume on a daily basis,” USCIS says of its mission.

The agency also investigates fraud, aids asylum seekers and refugees, and provides public information in foreign languages.

More than half of the overseas USCIS staff members are foreign nationals, and the local contract employees who perform many of the applicant screenings are likely to continue doing so under State Department supervision, a DHS officials said.

Cissna said in his message to staffers that he would consolidate regional, district, and field offices in the U.S. in coming weeks “to streamline management structures, balance resources, and improve our overall mission performance and service delivery.”

 

Source: stripes.com
Publication: 12 March 2019

A Bahraini refugee soccer player who was jailed and facing deportation arguably got his biggest goal — citizenship in a foreign country.

Hakeem al-Araibi, 25, was one of about 200 people who became Australia citizens at a ceremony in Melbourne.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison fastened his own Australia flag pin to Araibi’s jacket. “I’ll take the new one,” he said. “But this is for you, which you can wear very proudly, as our newest Australian but as someone whose Australian values have always been deep in his heart.”

The developments in Araibi’s life triggered outcry among human rights activists, sports enthusiasts and lawmakers across the globe.

Araibi used to play on the national soccer team in the small Persian Gulf state of Bahrain. In 2012, authorities arrested him. In 2014, a court convicted him in absentia of torching a police station, handing him a prison sentence of 10 years. The professional soccer player fled Bahrain that year.

He had been living in Australia as a refugee until last November, when he landed in Thailand during his honeymoon. Thai officials arrested him on an Interpol red notice. He spent two months in jail, facing extradition to Bahrain.

“I could still remember the tone in Hakeem’s voice,” Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy for the London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, tells NPR. “He was telling me about his sleepless nights, like it was a film running back in his head. Remembering everything in detail about how he was abused in Bahrain detention.”

Araibi was beaten, especially on his legs and feet just to remind him that he would not play soccer again, Alwadaei says.

He says video footage showed that Araibi was playing in a televised soccer match when the alleged vandalism occurred.

Inside Bangkok Remand Prison, Araibi told The Guardian that “Bahrain wants me back to punish me” for speaking publicly about human rights abuses and discrimination against Shia Muslims by Sunni leaders.

Under international pressure, Thai prosecutors dropped the case in February and Araibi was released from a Bangkok prison cell. Bahrain withdrew its extradition request but on the same day, the minister of foreign affairs gave the ambassador of Australia to Bahrain a memorandum with the international arrest warrant issued against Araibi.

On Tuesday, the soccer player announced that he finally felt safe. “No one can follow me now,” he tweeted.

In attendance at the ceremony was Craig Foster, an Australian sports analyst and retired soccer player who worked tirelessly to raise awareness of Araibi’s case. “May we learn from the experience as a nation, treat every asylum seeker as supportively, with corresponding compassion as Hakeem. All deserve equal dignity, opportunity,” he said.

Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne told a crowd from the podium about the widespread concern for Araibi’s welfare. Public support “played an enormous part in ensuring he was returned to Australia,” she said.

His soccer club, Pascoe Vale, described Tuesday’s event as “a moment we all have been waiting for.” It added that his example showed how soccer can break down barriers and unite people.

Araibi is currently training and trying to regain the strength he lost while away from soccer, according to The Guardian.

Alwadaei says Tuesday’s joy only goes so far.

“Although someone managed to escape the torture doesn’t mean that their family members will be immune from consequences from the government,” he says. Araibi’s brother, who was imprisoned on the same charges, remains behind bars, Alwadaei says.

He adds that many more political prisoners are languishing in Bahrain.

“Although Hakeem got unprecedented support from the international community simply for his affiliation with [soccer],” he says, “there are thousands of other individuals who simply have no one to advocate on their behalf simply because they don’t happen to be a famous athlete or to have the community behind them.”

 

Source: npr.org
Publication: 12 March 2019

Knight Frank has launched the 13th edition of The Wealth Report, providing the global perspective on prime property and wealth. The annual publication includes the Knight Frank City Wealth Index; price movements across 100 luxury residential property markets; the results of Knight Frank’s Luxury Investment Index; and, the Attitudes Survey.

Headlines from the report include:  

• The global UHNWI population is forecast to rise by 22% over the next five years. In the Middle East the UHNWI population is forecast to grow by 20% over the same time period.
• In the four major economic cities of the GCC countries, (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh), UHNWI growth over this period is expected to register at 15%.
• 2019 will be the year the number of US$ millionaires globally exceeds 20 million for the first time.
• Whatever the Brexit outcome, London will remain the leading global wealth centre, and retakes top spot in Knight Frank’s City Wealth Index
• Manila leads Knight Frank’s Prime International Residential Index with prices rising by 11% in 2018
• 63% of the world’s ultra-high-net-worth population saw an increase in their wealth in 2018
• 31% of all global commercial real estate transactions involve private capital.

Liam Bailey, global head of research at Knight Frank said: “We regularly get asked by clients to predict what might happen in the year to come in terms of wealth creation, wealth movement and luxury property prices globally. What stands out for me this coming year is that despite a darkening economic outlook, wealth creation will remain a constant in 2019 with the global UHNWI population set to rise by more than a fifth over the next five years.

“Despite the risks from Brexit – London will remain the leading global wealth centre in 2019. With the world’s largest UHNWI population, the city sweeps the board in our annual City Wealth Index, pushing its only serious rival, New York, into second place.

“The wealthy will continue to demand access to global markets, especially as emerging economies see growth rates slow and the search for diversification grows. A record 26% of global UHNWIs will begin to plan for emigration this year, and to help them a record number of countries will offer citizenship and residency through investment schemes.

“As wealth moves more rapidly around the world, investors will become increasingly active in their investment strategies. Rising interest rates and the end of quantitative easing mean we are reaching the end of the “everything bubble”. In the past decade it was enough to buy classic cars, art or property and the generosity of central banks would help deliver super-charged returns. As this process unwinds property investors will become increasingly focused on income, asset management and development opportunities.”

Click here to download the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2019

 

Source: retalkasia.com
Publication: 6 March 2019

Wealthy investors from countries such as Russia who want to settle in Britain face stricter rules on so-called golden visas under a new regime to be announced on Thursday, a crackdown spurred by the Skripal nerve agent attack.

However, transparency campaigners have attacked the shake-up to the visa scheme, which has seen rich overseas investors such as billionaire Roman Abramovich set up home in the UK, as not going far enough.

In an attempted crackdown on money laundering, new Home Office rules that take effect in April will require visa applicants to prove they have had control of more than £2m for at least two years, rather than 90 days. The investments will also need to be made in UK businesses, while investing in gilts will be excluded, in an attempt to increase the benefit to the British economy.

The tier-one “investor visa” route has in the past attracted many wealthy Chinese and Russian investors who have resettled in the UK. But the scheme has been under review since the UK’s relations with Russia deteriorated after the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury last year.

Britain failed to renew the visa of Mr Abramovich, owner of Chelsea football club, after the Skripal attack, in the highest-profile case of the UK spurning one of its Russian residents. The number of Russians granted tier-one visas fell from 46 in 2017 to 29 last year, the lowest number since they were introduced in 2008.

Duncan Hames, director of policy at the anti-corruption charity Transparency International UK, said the proposals were “far more modest” than those first envisaged by ministers.

He said a recommendation had not been included that would have set up an independent body to carry out checks on 3,000 individuals granted tier-one visas before 2015, when there were “little to no checks on the source of applicants’ wealth”.

He added: “We are still in the dark about the legitimacy of £3bn entering the UK, most of which came from investors from high corruption-risk states.”

Home Office officials said the department was still “looking into” the idea of wealth audits, but they would not be included in the April rule changes. The department has already made an embarrassing U-turn after it was forced to reverse a complete suspension of the investor visa scheme in December on being challenged by immigration lawyers.

Caroline Nokes, immigration minister, said her priority was “making sure that talented business people continue to see the UK as an attractive destination to develop their businesses”.

Separately, the Home Office said on Thursday it would relax conditions for entry in two other tier-one visas — the “start-up visa” (formally known as graduate entrepreneur) and the “innovator visa” (previously called the entrepreneur visa). The former is being expanded to people of any background looking to start a business, not just recent graduates. They will also be given a total of two years, rather than one, to make their business a success before applying for a further visa.

Meanwhile, the innovator route will be for more experienced business people but applicants will need only £50,000 to invest, rather than £200,000 under the current scheme. Both routes will be assessed by “endorsing bodies and business experts” rather than the Home Office.

Nadine Goldfoot, a partner at immigration law firm Fragomen, welcomed the changes. “The Home Office are making good practical changes for entrepreneurs and they’re doing the right thing,” she said. “It makes such a difference when experts assess applications, rather than officials being expected to decide what makes a good business.”

 

Source: ft.com
Publication: 7 March 2019

The new law would see jihadis who fight for the terror group kicked out of the country, Deutsche Welle reports. It would apply to adult ISIS militants with dual citizenship who take up arms for any “terrorist militia”. But it would not be retroactive, meaning any fighters who fled the extremist group’s territory in recent weeks or those who are already in prison would be exempt.

The proposed change comes as Western countries consider how to handle men, women and children seeking to return home after months or years living under ISIS rule.

Last month, Shamima Begum was stripped of her UK citizenship after travelling to join the extremist group in 2015 when she was 15.

Her case sparked a furious debate over whether she should be allowed to return home with her newborn son.

eremy Corbyn has said Ms Begum, now 19, has a “right to return to the UK” and that the decision to revoke her citizenship was “extreme”.

Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, said his decision complied with international law.

The Home Office is said to have made the decision on the grounds that she is a Bangladeshi national through her mother, who is a Bangladeshi citizen.

Ms Begum insists she does not have dual nationality and Bangladesh has said she would not be allowed into the country.

Meanwhile, Sweden has also taken steps to make it illegal to join a terror organisation.

Under the current laws, Sweden can only prosecute foreign fighters if it can prove that they have been involved in crimes violating the Geneva Convention.

But the proposed change would allow prosecutors to build cases against “many more” returning ISIS fighters, Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said.

In the United States, President Donald Trump said he e would block American-born Hoda Muthana from returning home with her young son.

Ms Muthana travelled to Syria more than four years ago to become an ISIS bride.

Her family in the US has launched a legal battle in an attempt to allow her back in.

Lawyers for the State Department say their claim is “profoundly flawed” because Ms Muthana has never been a US citizen.

 

Source: express.co.uk
Published: 4 March 2019

 

The UK Government has proposed fundamental changes to the Tier 1 visa category through a Statement of Changes released today. Changes include:

• Introduction of new Start-up and Innovator visa categories to replace the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) routes, with applicants in these categories assessed by trusted endorsement bodies vetted by the UK government;
• Investment threshold would be removed for the Start-up visa and reduced to GPB 50,000 for the Innovator category;
• English language levels for both categories will be set at B2 (higher than B1 for the current categories);
• Increased scrutiny over the source of funds for Tier 1 Investor applicants by extending the requirement to hold the investment funds from 90 days to two years, and by restricting rules to make it explicit that banks must carry out all due diligence checks before opening accounts for potential applicants; and
• Investment in UK government bonds would be excluded for all new Tier 1 Investor applicants to encourage investment in alternative forms.

The proposed changes are scheduled to take effect on March 29, 2019. Applications under the existing Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route can be made until July 5, 2019.

The situation

In a Statement of Changes, the UK government has proposed the introduction of new Start-up and Innovator visa categories to replace the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) and Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) routes, together with restricted rules for the Tier 1 (Investor) route.

A closer look – the Start-up visa

• Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route to be closed. The Start-up visa would replace the graduate entrepreneur route which would be closed to new applicants from July 5, 2019.
• Expanded eligibility. The category would be open to applicants starting a new business for the first time in the United Kingdom, not just recent graduates.
• Removal of funding requirement. Applicants would not need to have secured any initial funding for their proposed business.
• New endorsing bodies. Applicants would need to be endorsed by an independent endorsing body which has been vetted and approved by the UK government.
• Longer visa validity.  The visa would be granted for two years initially (doubled from  one year under the Graduate Entrepreneur category) and applicants would be able to switch into the Innovator category to continue progressing their business.
• Effect on existing Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneurs). Transitional provisions would allow Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneurs) to switch into the Start-up route or alternatively continue to switch into the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category until July 5, 2021.

A closer look – the Innovator visa

• Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route to be closed. The Innovator visa would replace the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) route which would be closed to new applicants from March 29, 2019.
• New expert endorsement requirement. Applicants would need to be endorsed by a designated endorsing body approved by the UK government, who would assess whether the applicant’s proposed business is innovative, viable and scalable. The Home Office has not confirmed which bodies would be authorised to issue endorsements yet, but has set out criteria with which the endorsing bodies must comply.
• Eligibility for Indefinite Leave to Remain (settlement). Innovators who satisfy at least two of the Home Office’s new criteria may qualify for settlement after three years, down from five under the existing route. The criteria include:
  • Investing at least GBP 50,000 into a business;
  • Doubling the business’s customers;
  • Applying for intellectual property protection after research and development activity;
  • Generating annual gross revenue of GBP 1 million;
  • Creating 10 full-time jobs for resident workers.

• Effect on existing Tier 1 (Entrepreneurs). Existing Entrepreneurs can continue to extend their visa under the current rules until April 5, 2023, but would be required to provide more detailed information on their role in the business and the jobs they have created. Settlement applications for existing Entrepreneurs will remain open until  April 5, 2025.

A closer look – the Investor visa

• Increased scrutiny over funding. New Investor visa applicants would need to prove they have had control of the required GBP 2,000,000 investment funds for the last two years, up from 90 days under the existing rules. If the funds have been held for a shorter period, applicants would need demonstrate the source of the investment funds. An expanded test will allow the Home Office to refuse applications where there are grounds to believe the investment funds have been transferred internationally by unlawful means. Further, rules are being restricted to make it explicit that banks must carry out all due diligence checks before opening accounts for potential applicants.
• Investment in government bonds no longer accepted. Under the proposed changes, investment in government bonds would be precluded, to incentivise investment in active and trading UK companies.
• Effective date. The proposed changes will apply to all new applications made on or after March 29, 2019. Transitional provisions are in place to protect existing Tier 1 Investors, who can apply to extend their visa under the existing rules (subject to some minor alterations) until April 5, 2023 and apply for settlement until April 5, 2023.

The above proposals do not affect the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) category.

Impact

The changes should broaden the scope for overseas entrepreneurs to start a business in the United Kingdom with reduced or no prior funding. The changes would also place the role of assessing the viability of proposed businesses on new endorsing bodies, rather than Home Office officials.

By contrast, the proposed changes require prospective Tier 1 Investors to demonstrate the source of their funds over a much longer period. The changes should also encourage direct investment in UK companies rather than via government bonds.

Background

The proposed changes follow a review by the independent Migration Advisory committee, which recommended that an endorsement approach should be introduced in the Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) category. The committee further recommended substantial reform to the Entrepreneur category on the grounds that it had produced low quality businesses which added little or no benefit to the UK economy.

The changes are designed to encourage the development of and investment in viable, innovative and scalable businesses in the United Kingdom.

The proposed changes to the investor visa were announced in December but were not implemented pending research on the best way to achieve the desired policy goals.

Looking ahead

The government proposals are scheduled to take effect on March 29, 2019 (July 5, 2019 for the closure of the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme), but still require parliamentary approval. Fragomen will monitor the situation and will report on relevant developments.

 

Source: Fragomen.com
Published: 7 March 2019

Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP is pleased to announce three of its partners have received recognition in the 2018 Top 25 issue of EB5 Investors Magazine: Ron Klasko, Daniel Lundy, and Anu Nair. Each year, the magazine gives recognition to the EB-5 industry’s leading and most influential attorneys and service providers. To be eligible for this recognition, the distinguished attorneys must be specialized in an EB-5 practice group which focuses on EB-5 policy and lobbying matters, complex cases, and immigration compliance, or they are distinguished immigration attorneys. They are then selected by a community-wide nomination and voting process, and then evaluated on their industry experience, track record, and reputation.

Ron Klasko is known as one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers representing EB-5 clients. Ron represents thousands of immigrant investors from all around the globe, over 50 approved regional centers and numerous U.S. developers and business owners who have sought his counsel in connection with using the EB-5 program to raise capital for investment projects. Ron served five terms as Chair of the EB-5 Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). In this capacity, he led advocacy efforts with USCIS to improve the EB-5 program. He currently chairs the AILA Administrative Litigation Task Force, leading the efforts to challenging federals immigration policies, visa denials, and unreasonable delays.

Daniel Lundy has been repeatedly acknowledged as a top immigration lawyer in this annual list by eb5 Investors Magazine as well. Mr. Lundy has successfully represented many immigrant investors in their EB-5 petitions and applications, including investors seeking permanent residence through investment in their businesses, and investors seeking permanent residency through investments into approved USCIS Regional Centers. He has developed strategies to tackle the complexities that have compounded the EB-5 industry including restructuring troubled projects, and filing lawsuits challenging USCIS delays and denials.

This year marks Anu Nair’s debut on this annual list as a top immigration lawyer. Anu is currently the Investor Team’s managing partner, and her command of investor-related issues is recognized within the industry. She is frequently asked to review cases prepared by other firms to ensure compliance and has attained a 99% approval rate on all petitions and applications filed with the government.

Entering its 15th year of practice, Klasko Immigration Law Partners has grown its national practice to include 17 full-time attorneys who are dedicated exclusively to immigration law finding innovative solutions to the most complex issues in modern immigration. The firm provides top-tier legal EB-5 immigration, as well as a full suite of employment-based immigration services including EB-1 immigration, worksite compliance, global immigration, and business litigation services to individuals, multinational corporations, small companies, investors, hospital, and universities.

The attorneys of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP have national reputations for cutting-edge immigration law practice. To schedule a consultation with the firm’s EB-5 visa lawyers or EB-1 attorneys, please visit the firm’s website or call 215-825-8695.

About Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP
Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP has offices in Philadelphia and New York, and provides top-tier legal services to EB-5 investors, regional centers, and developers. Its EB-5 team is one of the largest and most respected in the country, and its Compliance team is the first of its kind. The firm has been selected as one of the top 5 business immigration law firms in the United States by the prestigious Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Chambers and Partners) for the past ten years. The firm serves as the North American Regional Representative of the Investment Migration Council, the worldwide association Investor Immigration and Citizenship-by-Investment.

 

Source: klaskolaw.com

Published: 27 February 2019

Individuals naturalized under Vanuatu’s Development and Support Programme (VDSP) – one of two concurrent citizenship by investment programs in the Pacific archipelago state – will no longer be “honorary citizens”. Whether they will now have the right to political participation remains unclear.

Speaking to IMI during the Investment Immigration Summit in Dubai today, James E. Harris, Managing Director of the Vanuatu Information Center, said “2019 has seen the update of the Citizenship Act and the removal of the ‘honorary’ prefix for Vanuatu citizenship [acquired through investment]”.

A dubious honor

Many industry stakeholders had viewed the practice of conferring citizenship certificates that included the term ‘honorary’ as an obstacle to the program’s success, indicated Harris, “given that it could potentially have been used as a differentiator between those who became citizens through the VDSP and those who are natural-born citizens”.

Originally included as a way of preventing too many newly naturalized foreigners from political participation the tiny country (the islands have a population of only 280,000), the policy had been a handicap in a global citizenship market, explained Harris.

“Although the Vanuatu government has always maintained that the ‘honorary’ designation for citizens under the VDSP made no practical difference – apart from rendering the individuals unable to vote or take public office in the country – the fact remains that there was a general perception of this causing a differentiation, and two “levels” of citizenship in Vanuatu, so this a very significant step forward,” said Harris.

“Certainly, for the market as a whole, this will be a welcome development. There are several significant industry voices who have long argued against the ‘honorary’ designation and the perceived differentiator it constitutes.”

In the Caribbean, the common workaround for the quandary of having a small population and a popular citizenship by investment program has been to avoid any difference at all between those born into citizenship and those naturalized, by instead attaching voting rights to a mandatory period of physical residence (typically five years). Whether this will be the case in Vanuatu remains to be seen.

“What we don’t know as yet – because the new regulation order, which has been ratified by Parliament, is still pending public release – is whether this rule change means that those naturalized through investment can now also vote or run for office in Vanuatu,” Harris points out. “We’ll know this once the government makes the regulation available to the wider public, which we expect to happen any day now.”

 

Source: imidaily.com

Published: 25 February 2019

The Hon. Prime Minister on February 18, visited the sites of the Georgetown and Cotton Hill Housing Settlements to get a first-hand view of the progress of the project.

This is all part of government’s initiative to build comfortable and adequate housing conditions for citizens and also in keeping with the mandate of making Dominica the first climate resilient country in the world.

In June 2018, the Government of Dominica broke ground for the Northern Housing Development which is also known as The Phoenix Development in Georgetown, Glanvillia where the first 68 of 226 homes will be constructed.

Housing projects such as the Georgetown and Cotton Hill Projects are ongoing in other parts of the island such as Castle Bruce, La Plaine and Boetica.

The Hon Prime Minister was pleased with the progress of the project and revealed that as the Minister for Housing and Finance he has taken a decision to expand the housing development in Cotton Hill.

“These are major projects that will address a significant challenge of the housing difficulties that we have in both Lagon and Portsmouth; and this was the firm the commitment we gave to the residents. Obviously we were held back by the hurricane but since 2018 we’ve made tremendous progress in housing, not only here but in the east and other parts of the country. I have also taken the decision as the minister for housing to expand the existing number of units in Cotton Hill because we have about 120 people applying for homes so we intend to address the situation for 120 families in the Lagon area because the people really need to improve their homes. A number of them have small structures on squatted lands and we need to certainly get them out of that situation and elevate their standard of living.”

The modern developments will also have all electrical, telephone and cable lines ran underground. The Georgetown Development will happen in two phases, sixty-eight in phase one and 158 in phase two. Phase one is expected to be completed by August 2019 and the Cotton Hill Project will be complete by November 2019.

The Hon Prime Minister says that these two housing development projects are examples of the impact the Citizenship by Investment Programme has on the country.

“As you know this project is financed with funds from the Citizenship by Investment program yet another tangible manifestation of the prudent and responsible and visible use of the CBI funds. Much to the benefit and satisfaction and improvement of our country and our citizens. So, I’m very excited to visit these two projects today and to see the projects first hand and to see what else we need to do to assist the residents of Portsmouth and the Cottage constituency.”

The project is being developed by Montreal Management Consultants Establishment (MMCE), the same developers of the Bellevue Chopin Housing Project for the people of Petite Savanne.

 

Source: news.gov.dm

Published: 21 February 2019

Responding to news that Shamima Begum, who joined the Islamic State group in Syria aged 15, is to lose her UK citizenship, Rachel Logan, Amnesty International UK’s Legal Programme Director, said:

“The Home Secretary’s revoking of Shamima Begum’s British citizenship is legally and morally questionable.

“Effectively rendering Begum stateless, even if only temporarily, is simply bypassing the UK’s responsibility to recognise that she was a 15-year-old child when groomed and enticed to Syria, while she now has a new-born British child whose best interests need to be at the forefront of any decision.

“Given the apparent lack of any attempt to engage with her in Syria, it’s hard to see how an adequate assessment of her son’s best interests could have been done.

“Generally speaking, the UK Government should provide British nationals who are effectively detained in IDP camps in Syria with consular assistance. This is all the more important in cases where children are involved.

“Of course, if the Government has reasonable grounds to suspect that any individual returning to the UK has committed crimes under international law or which constitute serious human rights abuses, they should ensure that person is properly and fairly investigated and charged appropriately, in her case as a juvenile at the time the crimes were committed.”

 

Source: amnesty.org.uk

Published: 20 February 2019