TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, CMC – The House of Assembly in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has agreed to introduce constitutional recognition for a new category of people to be known as “Ancestral Virgin Islanders” as part of broader constitutional reform efforts.
The move forms part of a package of constitutional amendments reviewed by legislators sitting as a Committee of the Whole House between October 2025 and April 2026, following deliberations on the Constitutional Review Commission report.
According to the report, the Constitution will establish “a distinct recognition of an ‘Ancestral Virgin Islander’ as a unique category”, separate from persons regarded as belonging under Section 2 of the Constitution and from the existing constitutional definition of “Virgin Islander”.
The designation will apply to people able to demonstrate “direct lineal descent by birth, traced through the maternal or paternal line, from at least one ancestor born in the Virgin Islands on or before 1860”.
Legislators stressed that the recognition would not automatically grant Belonger status, but would instead create a separate constitutional category based on heritage and historical ties to the territory.
The report outlined several protections attached to the designation, including the right to reside in the Virgin Islands without immigration restrictions and the right to hold inherited land without requiring a Non-Belonger Land Holding License.
Recognized individuals would also be permitted to inherit shares in local companies without a license. They would gain access to a “fast-track process” for Belonger status and citizenship, subject to legislation.
Legislators said 1860 was chosen as the benchmark for establishing ancestral connections because it corresponds to the earliest reliable church and civil records in the territory.
The Committee also agreed to amend the Preamble of the Constitution by replacing references to “Virgin Islander” with “people of the Virgin Islands” in an effort to avoid confusion surrounding technical legal definitions.
The report said the reforms are intended to address longstanding issues relating to identity, belonging, and heritage while strengthening “clarity” and improving “the coherence of key constitutional concepts”.
Debate over belonging, immigration, and citizenship rights in the BVI has intensified in recent years amid wider discussions about the territory’s constitutional relationship and governance framework.
The Committee noted that while the Constitution would establish the new category and its core protections, detailed procedures, including proof requirements and administrative processes, would be determined through legislation.
The proposal now forms part of the constitutional amendment package to be developed following the House’s review.
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