GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat announced on Monday that four member countries, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, are on track to implement free movement among themselves as of October 1 this year.
“By implementing the full free movement regime, these four countries have agreed to grant their nationals the right to enter, leave and re-enter, move freely, reside, work and remain indefinitely in the receiving member state, without the need for a work or residency permit,” the Secretariat said.
It stated that nationals of these countries will also be able to access emergency and primary health care, as well as public primary and secondary education, within the means of the receiving member state.
The move by the four Caribbean countries is in keeping with a decision by CARICOM leaders at their summit held in Jamaica in July this year. It forms part of the overall objective of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), which aims to facilitate the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital across member countries.
The CARICOM Secretariat stated that representatives from the four member states have been meeting and working to ensure the required measures to support the free movement of their nationals will be undertaken and commence on October 1 this year.
“This free movement arrangement falls within the new Enhanced Cooperation Chapter of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Under that Chapter, the Conference of CARICOM Heads can allow groups of at least three Member States to seek to advance integration among themselves where the Conference agrees that the targeted objectives cannot be attained within a reasonable period by the Community as a whole.”
The Secretariat stated that this type of free movement expands the scope of what is offered under the CSME and is available to all CARICOM nationals from the participating four countries.
”The other Member States participating in the CSME will continue to operate free movement under the existing Regimes (Skills, Services, Business Establishment and general facilitation of travel),” the Secretariat added.
and then  Secretariat announced on Monday that four member countries, Barbados, Belize, Dominica){kind=link}