“I have individuals who come to my office who can’t find work, even though they were born here and have a Bahamian birth certificate,” she told The Tribune.

Hold up. If they have a BAHAMIAN birth certificate why do they need to apply for citizenship? Proof of citizenship, to my knowledge, IS a Bahamian birth certificate of passport. If your parents are not citizens and you are born here, don't they give you a Certificate of Identity or a Belongers Permit? She sounds confused or has brought into this foolishness that being born her automatically entitles you to citizenship..

Clearly you don't know what you are talking about. Research it and come back.

yes, it is confusing I agree, however she is right, Immigration administration needs to get whipped into shape. I bet it did no take them so long to have all the Chinese workers for Baha mar processed.

Proof of Bahamian citizenship is actually a passport. If you don't have a passport then you need your birth certificate and also your parents birth certificate. If your mother is single then all you need is her birth certificate but if she is married then you need the fathers(if he is a foreigner then it gets a bit more complicated).A large number of Bahamian(60 %) will have some problem proofing that they are in fact Bahamian.

Maybe 60% of "Bahamians" will have trouble producing their parents birth certificate because their parents were born to, or are themselves, illegal immigrants. Most Bahamians can request and receive birth certificates for themselves and their parents at the same time, with no issues other than the lengthy turnaround time.

If your parents was born before 1960, it is quite difficult to locate a birth certificate especially if they were born in the out islands(loss records abound). The authorities then demand you produce affidavits from two persons who know your parents. As the years go by especially with dead parents it becomes "mission impossible".

I know far too many 55+ and much older Bahamians with passports, some from the Family Islands, to accept that this dead end scenario is a common occurance. Maybe some had to go the route of producing affidavits to confirm their births and the identity of their parents, but obviously they did so in a timely manner. Any added delays and complications that applicants face from having to go about proving the nationality of their parents and/or grandparents, is really the fault of the parent(s).

there are a whole lot of people out of work. unemployment is very high and it has nothing to do with immigration.

Glad I am not the only one confused by her statements....

The fact that an individual has a Birth Certificate,does not make him/her a Bahamian and ccertainly not stateless. Citizenship is granted through the Constitution, Naturalization, Adoption and the like. Obviously, this business woman chose the wrong business as she needs to educate herself on the Law of the Land. If you were borne in the Bahamas after July 10, 1973, and your parents are foreign, you take on the nationality of them, and that is why your are not stateless. She seems to think that the Department of Immigration should give her the support so that her business will become profitable. Not in the Bahamas!

I know Ceva a great smart lady, what she is trying to say is what i see other people complaining about I know a couple who invested 4 million on a bussines in freeport applied for perminant residensy 15 years ago and have had their paypers lost 4 times appled and reapplied time after time and have recived nothing , they go into immigration every few months for years asking whats happening and they have paid the 10,000 fee nothing what a joke.

thye tell you wrong, you dont pay the 10,000 until the certificate is ready

Lies complicate matters. Ignorance ignores what matters. One aught to verify, verify, and then verify again, before making 'difinitive' statements, which might not be able to bear the light of truth.

every gov. office is lousy, and the folks in charge don't care

Would be interesting to see Real numbers... showing how many applications have been submitted, then the number of applications processed, and in what timeframe.