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Citizenship Approval Should Not Take Decades, CJ Says

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The chief justice says while there is a process for granting citizenship, it shouldn’t take years and in some cases, decades.

Published

1 year ago

April 23, 2023

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Chief Justice Sir Ian Winder admitting that while there is a process for granting citizenship, he doesn’t think it should take years and in some instances decades.

Winder is referring to granting citizenship to individuals born in The Bahamas to foreign parents.

His comments come after Immigration Minister Keith Bell said government won’t rush the process, siting there has been instances of fraud.

Last month, Winder warned that delaying approvals for those born here is a recipe for social discontent.

The issue has been a source of contention for many who are born in The Bahamas to non-Bahamian parents and have to apply for citizenship once they turn 18 years old.

Winder says he accepts there are some who sometimes forge documents.