… aims to make process easier for Diaspora
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has launched a Remigration Brochure, which aims to make the process easier for Guyanese in the Diaspora to resettle here.
Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud on Thursday said that the Brochure will fill any information gaps which exist in the process.
The Ministry is looking at ways to improve services by making it more convenient.
“One of the gaps we noticed is persons were unclear on how they can go about accessing the remigration scheme. Immediately, we developed what we call a ‘remigration brochure’ that is now available on the internet, but also at all our missions and embassies [which provides] the basic information they need to know,” Persaud said.
The process involves the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The Ministry will process the application and through the Minister’s Office, make recommendations, Persaud said. The GRA examines the tax exemptions aspect, as provided by law.
The simplified process allows persons to track their applications as they are processed, and to see the exemptions for which they may qualify.
“Those are some of the kinks that we are currently working out because there is a lot of enthusiasm. There is a lot of interest in persons remigrating and we want them to benefit from the scheme that is provided for by the Government,” Persaud said.
He noted too that the Ministry is working with the International Office for Migration, which is finalising a strategy that looks at remigration and the diaspora to make remigration more lucrative.
However, Persaud said the current remigrant scheme is already an attractive one which not only targets families, but also students studying abroad.
“They too can also remigrate. So, it is not only a person and families who have settled, but also attracting skills. So, persons who would have been studying in the U.S. or anywhere, they can also tap into the scheme,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary noted that remigration is a priority for the Government noting that various initiatives presented in the recent budget and the Government’s overall plan for development would also attract overseas Guyanese.
The Remigration Brochure can be accessed on the Ministry’s website at:https://www.minfor.gov.gy/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Remigration.pdf.
