During the November 29th Cabinet meeting, the government approved a three-month extension of the registration period of the current Amnesty program. The program launched in August of this year allows eligible persons in Belize to regularize their immigration status and was to close on November 30th. With the three-month extension, those eligible for the program now have until February 2023.
The government did not provide a reason for the extension, but speculation is that more time is needed as people continue to apply for their change of immigration status.
In San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, the Amnesty center is located on the ground floor of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve building. It is open Monday to Friday, from 8AM to 5PM. All appointments to apply for residency must be made online at https://immigration.gov.bz/amnesty-appointment/. Applicants will be provided with a date and time when they will be required to visit the Amnesty center to submit their application.
Requirements to access the Amnesty program
The requirements continue as stipulated by the amnesty program and the Ministry of Immigration. Registered asylum seekers automatically qualify for residency. Irregular immigrants who have resided continuously in Belize for five or more years are also eligible. All those eligible residents of San Pedro and Caye Caulker seeking Belizean residency are encouraged to make online appointments to start their application process before the program expires.
According to the Government of Belize, they invested around $3 million in the Amnesty 2022 program. This project is to help about 60,000 migrants living in Belize amend their immigration status. The program is designed to grant amnesty to undocumented residents of CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and Central America.
For inquiries regarding this program, the Ministry of Immigration can be reached on WhatsApp at 610-3674.
