As Antigua and Barbuda prepares for its upcoming general election on April 30, opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) leader Jamale Pringle has laid out a sweeping plan to reform the country’s existing work permit framework, promising to eliminate one of the most burdensome hurdles facing foreign workers in the country.
Speaking to supporters at a campaign rally held in All Saints, Pringle pulled back the curtain on the proposed changes, criticizing the current regulatory structure that locks foreign workers into contracts with a single employer. Under the status quo, any worker seeking to switch jobs must restart the entire application process from scratch, a repetitive procedure that piles up unnecessary costs and creates significant administrative red tape for foreign employees who have already established themselves in the country.
Pringle outlined that a UPP-led administration would completely restructure the permitting system by shifting the classification of work permits from employer-specific to industry or profession-based. This fundamental overhaul means that instead of issuing a permit tied to one particular role at one company, authorities would grant authorization based on the worker’s skilled trade or professional field. For example, a construction laborer or a hotel service worker would be free to move between different positions within their respective sector without submitting a new application, paying additional fees, or waiting for fresh approval every time they change roles.
In remarks highlighting the human impact of the reform, Pringle emphasized that the change is designed to create a fairer system for foreign workers who have made lasting contributions to Antigua and Barbuda’s economy. “We understand that persons would have moved from their country of birth to live within Antigua and Barbuda, and they help to build our economy,” he said, noting that these workers currently face disproportionate restrictions and repeated financial burdens under outdated rules.
The work permit overhaul is not an isolated policy proposal, Pringle confirmed, but rather one piece of a wider, ambitious agenda to modernize Antigua and Barbuda’s labor market and regulatory frameworks for businesses. With voting day just weeks away, the plan marks a clear policy distinction for the UPP as it courts voters ahead of the April 30 general election.