The ‘high trust’ pilot project to streamline the procedure for obtaining an employment permit on Bonaire has received positive evaluations from both the Bonaire Hotel and Tourism Association (BONHATA) and participating companies in the tourism sector. Since its start on July 1, 2023, significant improvements have been observed in the processing time of permit applications, contributing to the satisfaction of employers, employees, and the government.
Bonaire faces a tight labor market. Therefore, it’s sometimes necessary to bring in people from abroad to work on the island. In these cases, a government employment permit is required before any work is allowed to be done. Previously, this process caused dissatisfaction among employers, employees, and the government due to long processing times. As a result, agreements were made to start a pilot on July 1, 2023, where BONHATA, along with others, endorsed employers to participate. In total, 12 companies from the education, healthcare, and tourism sectors joined the pilot.
The objectives of the so called ‘high trust’ pilot are as follows:
- Significantly shorten the processing time for permits.
- Verify the correctness of applications through random sampling.
- Develop criteria for broader application of accelerated permit granting.
After three months, a joint evaluation of the pilot project took place in October, yielding positive results. Further consideration will be given to the best way to continue this initiative during a follow-up evaluation in early 2024.
In the runup to the pilot, the Bonaire Business Federation (BFB) and the Chamber of Commerce, along with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), Plenchi di Trabou, and SZW, explored ways in which the application procedure could be improved. These sessions provided a clear roadmap for accelerating the application process without affecting the ability for IND and SZW to verify legitimacy of each application.
To ensure the success of the pilot, much attention was given to the selection of participants. Companies and institutions seeking higher-educated personnel (such as in the medical and educational sectors) have a lower risk profile. Further risk-reducing factors include membership in a business association like BONHATA or having industry certification such as those available to companies in the diving industry.
Participating employers must ensure employment permit applications are complete and submitted correctly, as any missing documents can result in much longer processing times – defeating the goal of the pilot. To further aid employers, IND and SZW have prepared their teams to be able to provide extra assistance for the duration of the pilot.
The positive evaluation of the pilot emphasizes the joint efforts of all parties involved to increase the efficiency of the employment permit procedure in Bonaire.