Oil and Gas Industry Applicants Now Require Police and Medical Certificate for All Immigration Applications

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At a Glance

• Effective immediately in Guyana, all applicants for initial and renewal visas-on-arrival, Permits to Land and Work Permits, including those in the oil and gas industry, are required to submit a police clearance certificate and a medical certificate with their application.
• Previously, applications from foreign nationals or host entities in the oil and gas industry did not require these certificates.
• This will add an administrative hurdle and possibly additional costs for applicants and employers, and may delay the document-gathering time, since it may take a significant amount of time to obtain the police clearance certificate in some countries.

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The situation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guyana now requires all applicants to submit a police clearance certificate and a medical certificate with their initial or renewal visas-on-arrival, Permit to Land or Work Permit applications, including those filed by foreign nationals or host entities in the oil and gas industry, which was previously not required.

A closer look

• Affected applications. The police clearance and medical certificates are required for all initial and renewal applications. It is still uncertain whether dependents must also submit these certificates.
• Police clearance certificate. Affected applicants must obtain a police clearance certificate from their current country of residence. The certificate must not be older than six months prior to the filing of the visa or permit application.
• Medical certificate. Affected applicants must obtain a medical certificate from any licensed medical doctor in any country. The certificate must not be older than six months prior to the filing of the visa or permit application and must confirm that the applicant is free from communicable diseases.
• Other formalities. The police clearance and medical certificates do not need to be apostilled or legalized but must be translated to English if issued in any other language.
• Multiple applications. Applicants who will subsequently apply for another visa or permit in Guyana may re-submit the same police clearance and medical certificates, if the certificates are still within their six-month validity at the time of filing.

 

Impact

• Additional documents. Affected foreign nationals will need to undergo a medical examination and provide additional documents to support their visa or permit application in Guyana. This will add an administrative hurdle, and possible additional costs for employers and foreign nationals.
• Potential delays. This can delay the document-gathering time since it may take a significant amount of time to obtain police clearance certificates in some countries.

 

Background

Guyana’s immigration authorities are increasing their scrutiny on screening immigration applications due to a recent increase in the number of applications filed by foreign nationals with criminal convictions.

Looking ahead

As the number of foreign workers in Guyana rises, and some third-party representatives continue to file ineligible or incorrect immigration applications, authorities will likely continue implementing other rules to both standardize immigration processes and further scrutinize applications.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].