CARICOM Highlights Important Progress in Regional Integration at One Year Anniversary of Free Movement under Enhanced Cooperation

CARICOM Secretariat | Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana | Just over nine hundred Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Nationals have been granted indefinite stay in Member States participating in Free Movement under Enhanced Cooperation.

As CARICOM marks the first anniversary of that historic move, implementation reports from the four participating Member States, Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines confirm that the regime is operational and is facilitating increased mobility, employment and access to specified services for CARICOM nationals of the participating Member States.

This free movement arrangement among the four began on 1 October 2025. Nationals of the participating Member States can enter and remain indefinitely in those countries, work without a work permit and access specified services in accordance with national arrangements.

Reports confirm that all four participating Member States have introduced or advanced legislative, administrative and institutional measures to facilitate entry, residence, employment and access to specified contingent rights.

Barbados processed 918 applications during the period 1 October to 31 July 2026, and implementation has generally proceeded smoothly, supported by inter-agency coordination and public-information activities.

Belize has granted free movement status to 146 beneficiaries. Of the 146 beneficiaries, 9 subsequently registered with the Social Security Board.

Dominica has processed five applications.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has facilitated seven applications.

This makes a total of nine hundred and thirty-nine (939) persons processed, some of whom were already residing in the Member States before 1 October 2025.

Building on the progress achieved
While the first year has demonstrated meaningful progress, implementation reports also identify areas requiring further attention across participating Member States, particularly in registration, data collection and management, monitoring and reporting, public awareness and stakeholder sensitisation.

“The experience of these four participating Member States demonstrates that Free Movement works. Their progress, lessons and emerging best practices provide a roadmap for other Member States who are preparing to join Free Movement allowed by CARICOM Heads of Government under Enhanced Cooperation,” said Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade, at the CARICOM Secretariat.

He underscored CARICOM’s commitment to ensuring that the Regime is accessible, predictable and responsive to the needs of Community nationals as implementation moves into its second year.