Electronic ID cards to track Guyanese tax, NIS compliance – home affairs minister

Last Updated on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, 22:04 by Writer

The Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond on Wednesday said the government would be using electronic identification (e-ID) cards to ensure Guyanese pay their taxes and National Insurance Scheme’s social security.

“The E-ID Resident Cards is (sic) designed to ensure compliance with national regulations, including those of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), while also providing secure access to government and private sector services,” she said in a statement aimed at clarifying the purpose of the e-ID cards that would be issued to foreigners in Guyana.

In that regard, she said e-ID resident cards issued to non-citizens would remain valid only for the period of their approved stay, after which they automatically become invalid. Those cards, she said, would be issued to migrants who meet the required legal criteria – such as those holding valid work permits.

The home affairs minister categorically rejected the “false and misleading statements circulating on social media regarding the issuance of the new e-ID cards.” These claims are misinformed, irresponsible, and clearly intended to create public confusion about a legitimate national security initiative,” she said.

At Wednesday’s press conference, both Ms Walrond and Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said all migrants in Guyana would have to be registered and failure to do so would result in them being returned to their country of origin after the expiration of a grace period. “They will be given a grace period. After that grace period has expired and you do not register and have an e-ID card, you’ll be taken out of the country and other sanctions will be implemented. That is the policy,” she said.

Mr Hicken, who is the Chief Immigration Officer, said currently foreigners are registered at ports of entry, including being fingerprinted, but in the next three or four weeks, “we are going to use another mechanism where we are going to ID all the immigrants that are in Guyana and are not registered and so they are going to be registered through that process.”

Reeling from criticisms on social media, Minister Walrond said attempts to portray the Government’s monitoring of foreign nationals as an effort to “legitimize illegal migrants” are entirely false. “These statements are malicious, mischievous, and intended to sow public discord — tactics that serve the narrow interests of those who peddle misinformation.

The Government of Guyana remains firmly committed to modernizing public services, protecting our borders, ensuring the safety of our citizens, and enhancing national security through the responsible use of technology,” she said.

Ms Walrond urged all citizens to rely only on verified, official information and to reject divisive narratives that undermine national unity.

The small parliamentary opposition Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) on Wednesday recalled that on January 27th, 2025, then APNU+AFC parliamentarian and now FGM leader Amanza Walton-Desir stood in the National Assembly and warned the government about the growing migrant situation—highlighting the lack of a clear migration policy, unchecked border crossings, and the national-security risks of inaction.

FGM said her warning was dismissed by Minister Walrond, who accused her of “stoking xenophobic sentiments” and “imagining ghosts and fears.”

“Now, in the wake of a tragic bombing allegedly carried out by a Venezuelan national, Minister Walrond herself has announced that all foreigners must register or face deportation—a reactive move that echoes exactly what Walton-Desir had been urging months ago,” FGM said.

That party said that sudden policy shift underscores that the government repeatedly waits for a disaster before acting. “Instead of proactive governance, we are witnessing reactionary leadership that endangers national security and public safety,” that party said.

We Invest in Nationhood and A Partnership for National Unity also called for proper screening and registering of all migrants.