The United Workers Party (UWP), Dominica's main opposition party, calls on the Savarin-Skerrit government to stop demanding Haitian visitors a [refundable] deposit of US$400 to the Immigration Department upon arrival in Dominica.

UWP asserts that this practice is "discriminatory and unforgivable" underlining that such a requirement is apparently not imposed on citizens of other member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). While it is true that this guarantee for Haitians can be questionable, the fact remains that in the agreement of free movement of persons in the CARICOM Member States, formulated at the 29th intersessional meeting in February 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23683-haiti-flash-free-movement-of-haitians-in-the-caricom-countries.html and adopted in Jamaica last July, includes particular restrictions for Haitians.

Until measures are taken in the future to allow the free movement of people throughout the Caribbean, Haitians have the right to stay (6 months) WITHOUT VISA, with only their passport, in all CARICOM member countries.

However, if entry into a member country automatically entitles you to a maximum of 6 months of stay without a visa, all Haitians wishing to travel to one of the CARICOM countries must prove that they have sufficient financial resources to live during a period of 6 months, without becoming a burden for the country visited.

In addition, it should be noted that CARICOM Member States reserve the right to deny entry to all persons whom they consider undesirable without the knowledge of what criteria the concept of undesirable leads to arbitrariness and discrimination...

In addition to Haiti, the CARICOM Member States are : Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25982-haiti-flash-free-movement-without-visa-in-the-countries-of-caricom-for-haitians-under-condition.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24859-haiti-flash-caricom-examines-the-free-movement-of-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24722-haiti-flash-barbados-abolished-visas-for-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23683-haiti-flash-free-movement-of-haitians-in-the-caricom-countries.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-16835-haiti-flash-dominica-lifts-temporary-ban-on-visas-for-haitians.html

HL/ HaitiLibre