(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) By the second quarter of 2009 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals should expect to have further hassle free movement at ports of entry within the Caribbean Region, as the CARICOM Travel Card (CARIPASS) will be implemented.

The proposed implementation of CARIPASS was the main focus of discussion at a recent three-day meeting of the Regional Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs met at their Sixth Joint Meeting of CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs held at the Flamboyant Hotel in St. George’s, Grenada, as they sought to fine-tune details for the implementation of this Travel Card.

The Travel Card which was approved by the Twenty-Ninth CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government in July 2008, is a voluntary regime which will allow eligible CARICOM Nationals and legal residents to clear Immigration using designated electronic gates in Immigration halls. It is expected to support expedited travel throughout participating CARICOM Member States.

The Meeting which was co-chaired by Mr. Jessmon Prince, Chief of Immigration, Grenada and Mr. Terence Leonard, Comptroller of Customs, Saint Lucia also discussed the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between IMPACS and Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the accompanying standard operational procedures which addressed customer service training for Immigration and Customs Departments.

The outcomes and recommendations from the meeting of regional Chief Immigration and Customs Officers will be presented to the Seventh Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) in November 2008.

The following is the Communiqué issued at the Meeting:

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY IMPLEMENTATION AGENCY FOR CRIME AND SECURITY (IMPACS). COMMUNIQUE

REGIONAL CHIEFS OF IMMIGRATION AND COMPTROLLERS OF CUSTOMS MEET IN GRENADA, 29 SEPTEMBER-01 OCTOBER 2008, ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA

Regional Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs met at their Sixth Joint Meeting of CARICOM Standing Committees of Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs held at the Flamboyant Hotel in St. George’s, Grenada. The Meeting was held over a three day period, from September 29-October 01, 2008, and was co-chaired by Mr. Jessmon Prince, Chief of Immigration, Grenada and Mr. Terence Leonard, Comptroller of Customs, Saint Lucia.

Amongst items discussed was the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between IMPACS and Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and the accompanying standard operational procedures which addressed customer service training to be provided to Immigration and Customs Departments. Issues related to the Advance Passenger Information System and the Advance Cargo Information System were also discussed.

However, the implementation of the CARICOM Travel Card (CARIPASS) as approved at the Twenty-Ninth Conference of Heads of Government Meeting in July 2008 was the main focus of the Agenda. The Travel Card, which is set to become operational in participating states in 2009, is a voluntary regime which would allow eligible CARICOM Nationals and legal residents to clear Immigration using designated electronic gates in Immigration halls. The CARIPASS is expected to support expedited travel throughout participating CARICOM Member States.

During the opening ceremony, Mr. Timothy Antoine, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and feature speaker brought greetings on behalf of the Government of Grenada. Mr. Antoine in his remarks highlighted the need for continued innovation and information and intelligence cooperation in regional security.

Recommendations from this meeting will be presented to the Seventh Meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for National Security and Law Enforcement (CONSLE) scheduled to convene in November 2008.

In attendance were Chiefs of Immigration and Comptrollers of Customs or their representatives from CARICOM Member States including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago; as well as representatives from the Associate States Anguilla, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands Delegates also included Directors and other Senior Officers of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC).

CONTACT: Tonya Ayow
(868) 628 - 3311
secretariat@carimpacs.org
10-01-08