114 get belonger status

More than 100 people received belonger status at a ceremony last Thursday at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.

The event, hosted by the Department of Immigration, saw 113 new belongers presented with certificates by Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley, while Cian Ricardo Richards was granted the status posthumously, according to government.

“You have lived among us for many years and have made these islands your home,” Mr. Wheatley told attendees during the ceremony, to which the media was not invited. “And you have contributed in countless ways to the life and progress of our territory.”

He added that the recipients had long been part of the Virgin Islands’ story.

“What we are doing now is simply acknowledging the truth in an official and public way,” he said. “Today we open our hands and our hearts and welcome you into the Virgin Islands family. You belong, and we are proud to say so.”

Civic duty

Mr. Wheatley also stressed that the benefits that come with belonger status — including the right to vote, own land and operate a business — go hand-in-hand with civic duty.

He urged recipients to take part in nation-building, help preserve the territory’s culture and environment, and uphold unity in the territory, according to government.

Board of Immigration Chair Kamika Aisha Forbes also addressed the new belongers, congratulating them and noting their contributions to the territory’s social, cultural and economic fabric, according to government.

The final speaker was Natalie Fahie-Smith, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation.

“Today your status has changed in meaningful and practical ways,” Ms. Fahie-Smith said. “You now enjoy the right to live and work freely in the Virgin Islands and to participate more fully in national life. With these rights come shared responsibility to contribute to our economic and social development and to help build a territory that is inclusive, resilient and strengthened by your presence.”