A Review of Movement of Persons During the Last Decade under the Five Regimes of the CSME: Successes , Challenges a

1. A Review of Movement of Persons During the Last Decade under the Five Regimes of the CSME: Successes, Challenges and the Way Forward Caribbean Forum on Population, Migration and Development Georgetown, Guyana, 9-10 July 2013 Presenter: Noel Watson A-Z Information Jamaica Limited 9th July 2013

2. Overview of presentation • ORIGINS AND BACKGROUND • STUDY FOR CARICOM 2010 • CONTEXT, NATURE AND CHARACTER OF THE MOVEMENTS • CHALLENGES • IMPACT • RECOMMENDATIONS • WAY FORWARD

3. Objectives • Understanding the Five Regimes of the CSME • Quantifying the movement • Understanding the character of the movement • Understanding the main implementation Issues • Successes • Challenges • The Way Forward

4. Origins : Free Movement of Persons • Free movement of persons is a natural accompaniment to regionalism • Achievement of economic efficiency through the unencumbered movement of the factors of production • As an important factor, free movement of labour should lead to greater economic efficiencies within regional economies

5. CSME Five Regimes Focus

6. Free Movement of Skills/Persons 10 Categories for free movement of skills:  Graduates - persons who have obtained at least a Bachelor's Degree from a recognised university.(Jan. 1996) Nurses July 2006 Musicians - persons who are active in or qualified to enter a particular field of music with the specific purpose to earn a living.(July 1996) Teachers July 2006 Artistes - persons who are active in or qualified to enter a particular field of art with the specific purpose to earn a living.  (July 1996) Artisans with CVQ - Skilled Tradesperson, Craftsman or Worker December 2007 Media Persons - persons whose primary source of income is drawn from media and media-related work or persons who are qualified to enter this field. (July 1996) Associate Degree holders (or 2 CAPE Subjects) December 2007 Sportspersons are persons who are active in or qualified to enter a particular field of sports with the specific purpose to earn a living as a professional or semi-professional.(July 1996) Domestic Helpers/Housekeepers with CVQ (2009)

7. Main Elements in Free Movement of Skills • Application/Issuing of a Skilled National Certificate (SNC) • SNC is instrument that Skilled National uses to exercise RIGHT • Usually applied for in home country • But not a requirement • Verification of a Skilled National Certificate • SNC is verified in receiving Member State • Should not require another certificate • Skilled national is granted indefinite stay SNC Holder can move to another Member State and look for work and work DEFINITE ENTRY = 6 Months

8. Based on Study Completed in 2010 • TITLE • A CONSULTANCY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF FREE MOVEMENT OF PERSONS AND OTHER FORMS OF MIGRATION ON MEMBER STATES • FUNDING AGENCY • EU Funded - EDP 9 • EXECUTING AGENCY • CARICOM SECRETARIAT (CSME UNIT) • PROGRAMME • CARIBBEAN INTEGRATION SUPPORT PROGRAMME (CISP) • CONSULTANTS • A-Z INFORMATION JAMAICA LIMITED • Dennis Brown • Noel Watson • Denise Leander-Watson • Lynette Joseph-Brown

9. Methodology • Primary research • Visited all 12 Member States • Obtained data on SNCs from Competent Authority • # Applications since year 2000 (or Inception) • # Verifications • Process • Focus groups with SNC holders • Analyzed data/information

10. Free Movement of Skilled Nationals: Magnitude up to 2010

11. Number of Skilled Certificates Issued Total 2013 compared to Total 2010 * Estimate

12. Work Permit Holders : Magnitude

13. Findings: Skilled National Certificate • Different processes in each Member State • Some highly manual • Different Competent/Issuing Authorities • Different fees • Certificates look different in each Member State • Some Member States issue a new certificate upon verification others issue only a letter of verification • Level of discomfort with approval process in other Member States CHALLENGE: Lack of standardization and harmonization

14. Findings: Skilled National Certificate Holders - Nature and Character • Movement dominated by more educated persons • Approx 75% of movers are university graduates • More females than males- 55% female/45% male • Under 35 = major age category • As a general rule, main movement tends to be from less developed/wealthy to more developed territories

15. Findings: Work Permit Holders – Nature and Character of Movement • Main labour recruiting facility in the region • Male dominated • Full range of skills, but skewed towards lower level skills A lot more people move under Work Permit than under Skilled National So why are we so worried about Movement under this Regime by persons from CARICOM

16. Implementation issues: Tensions created by granting right of access • Right of non-national to access national space on same terms as citizens is new and requires new mind-set • Some territories more accommodating than others • Tendency of wealthier countries to deny or limit these rights to citizens of less prosperous countries.

17. Impact: Positive • Augmentation of human capital stock in a number of territories • Regulated movement of persons with skill into the territories of the region is more conducive to orderly social development, than undocumented movement • Movement under CSME Regimes have not been associated with undue pressure on the social institutional framework of the receiving countries • These territories have more than likely benefitted from the inward movement of skills

18. Impact: Negative • Depletion of human resource base of sending countries, e.g. Guyana

19. Recommendations from 2010 Study • Harmonize legislation across Member States as it relates to free movement • Harmonize administrative processes for applying for and verifying Skilled National certificates across Member States • Standardize Skilled National Certificates across the Region • Augment the human resource capacity of the CSME Unit within each Member State • Seek technical assistance for countries that lack the capacity to establish training and certification in the area of technical vocation • Conduct Public Education Campaigns throughout the region, which provide detailed information on the CSME, its institutional manifestations, how it works and benefits the ordinary citizen, and what is immediately available and what is to come.

20. The Way Forward: • Project • CARICOM Trade and Competitiveness Project • FUNDING AGENCY • CIDA • EXECUTING AGENCY • CARICOM SECRETARIAT (CSME UNIT) • PROGRAMME CONTENTS • Component 100 • Administrative Reform • Legislative Reform • Component 200 • Arrangement to ensure full participation of artisans through standardised licensing and certification and mutual recognition of licenses and certificates • Component 300 • Creation of the infrastructure for stakeholder participation in the CSME decision-making and implementation processes

22. 12 Member States Antigua and Barbuda Barbados Dominica Belize Saint Kitts and Nevis Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Vincent and Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Suriname Saint Lucia Target Market

25. The End Free Movement of Capital Thank you very much

26. Facilitation of Travel • The agreements in the Revised Treaty can be divided into two main parts, namely; • 1. Free Movement for the purposes of engagement in gainful economic activity and • 2. Hassle-Free Travel / Facilitation of Travel • Free movement for gainful economic activity within the CSME is available to wage earners, self-employed persons and to persons establishing companies and other types of business organizations. • The main changes brought about by the CSME are; • • the abolition of the work permit, • • the introduction of the CARICOM Certificate of Recognition of Skills Qualification, (CARICOM Skills Certificate) • • definite entry for 6 months, • • indefinite stay in a Member State and • • the right to transfer one’s social security benefits from one CARICOM State to another. • Hassle free travel is a necessary condition for persons to fully enjoy the rights connected to movement for the purposes of engagement in gainful economic activity. It includes; • • the Common ED Card • • the CARICOM Line at immigration points • • abolition of the need for a visa and • • the CARICOM Passport

27. The Cairo Consensus • The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo was a milestone in • the history of population and development, • the history of women's rights. • At the conference the world agreed that population is not just about counting people, but about making sure that every person counts.

28. Cairo Consensus cont’d. • ICPD delegates agreed that the equality and empowerment of women is a global priority from the perspective of: • universal human rights • an essential step towards eradicating poverty and stabilizing population growth • A woman’s ability to access reproductive health and rights is cornerstone of her empowerment and the key to sustainable development.

29. Cairo Consensus cont’d. • A total of 179 governments signed up to the ICPD Programme of Action which set out to do the following: • Provide universal access to family planning and sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights; • Deliver gender equality, empowerment of women and equal access to education for girls; • Address the individual, social and economic impact of urbanization and migration; • Support sustainable development and address environmental issues associated with population changes