Guyana: Travel and Work Authorization Restrictions During Processing of Work Permit Applications

• Permission to Land Permits. Permission to Land permits are granted to foreign nationals who will submit or have submitted a Work Permit application and are currently outside Guyana. The permits allow the foreign national to work in Guyana while their Work Permit application is pending.
• New restriction. Effective immediately, the Ministry of Home Affairs will only issue a maximum of two Permission to Land permits to foreign nationals; therefore, once a foreign national enters Guyana with their first Permission to Land, the Ministry can only issue one more Permission to Land permit if the foreign national’s Work Permit application has been approved. Approval can take 30 to 60 calendar days, though the Ministry has stated that it expects to adjudicate applications within three weeks from submission to account for this new restriction. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, once a Work Permit Approval Letter is issued, foreign nationals can only re-enter Guyana to work showing this letter one time.
• Travel work-around. After the foreign national has used their two Permission to Land permits, and while their Work Permit application is still pending, it is possible that they will still be able to travel abroad and re-enter Guyana as a tourist or business visitor. However, they will not be able to work in this status as they could when entering with a Permission to Land permit.
• Previous practice. Previously, the Ministry of Home Affairs granted unlimited Permissions to Land permits until a work permit stamp was endorsed in the foreign national’s passport.
• Affected groups. The change in practice affects visa-exempt nationals, since visa nationals obtain a three-year Employment Visa, which allows them to exit and re-enter Guyana during the processing of their work permit application without restriction.  

• Travel restrictions. Affected foreign nationals should revise their travel plans due to this process change and avoid international travel until their Work Permit is endorsed in their passports.
• Work restriction. Foreign nationals re-entering Guyana without a Permission to Land permit or a Work Permit Approval Letter (accepted only once between Work Permit approval and passport endorsement) are not authorized to work in Guyana.
• Pending Work Permit applications. Foreign nationals who already entered Guyana with a Permission to Land permit but who have not yet filed their Work Permit application are advised to submit their Work Permit application as soon as possible to avoid interruptions in their work-authorized status. Affected foreign nationals should work with their immigration providers to develop strategies to mitigate travel interruptions.

• Permissions to Land. To apply for a Work Permit in Guyana, visa-exempt nationals must first enter Guyana with an approved Permission to Land permit, which is usually valid for a single entry within six months of issuance and allows a stay in Guyana for up to three months.
• Reason for the change. Authorities in Guyana are implementing the restrictions due to the increase in the number of foreign nationals working in Guyana with multiple Permission to Land permits without proceeding to the Work Permit application stage, as required.

It is not clear how long this restriction will last.

The Ministry has not yet advised if Permission to Land permits will also be restricted during renewal application processing. Fragomen will report on additional details as they become available.

As the number of foreign workers in Guyana rises, authorities will likely continue implementing other rules to ensure the enforcement of work authorization rules.