Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd on Friday revealed that 409 Guyanese returned to their homeland in 2024, with most re-migrants coming from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Caribbean.
Speaking during the first day of the 2025 Budget Debates, Minister Todd highlighted improvements in the efficiency of the migration process under the current government.
He stated, “On migration, the ministry has improved the efficiency in the processing to allow for timely deliverables in keeping with the ministry’s mandate.”
He further underscored the improved processing times for re-migrant applications. “The remigration unit continues to process applications within seven working days. This represents one-third of the processing time under the APNU+AFC government,” Todd explained.
Minister Todd added that this improvement has allowed the ministry to successfully process 409 successful applications last year. He said, “Since taking office the government of Guyana has processed approximately 2000 qualified remigrant applications. This highlights the trust the diaspora have in the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic government.”
Since oil production commenced offshore Guyana back in 2019 the country’s economy has rapidly expanded. Guyana now boasts one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Cognizant of this, Todd’s ministry has stated that the government is cognizant of the potential of the diaspora to aid in this process of sustainable economic development. The Re-migration Scheme, which is jointly managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Guyana Revenue Authority, provides tax exemptions and other benefits to eligible re-migrants. It aims to encourage skilled Guyanese abroad to return and contribute to the country’s development.
