Head of the civil registry Leona Marlin confirmed to SMN News that there are several persons that are in possession of the three year permits that do not have a "date stamp". Marlin said the date the permit was signed off by the governor or Minister has to be on the document since it must be put into the system for it to continue the registration process. Marlin said persons who have a residency permit without the date stamp is referred to IND so they can make the necessary corrections. She admitted that while these persons are legal residents on the island they would not be able to obtain an identification card unless the rectification is made. Marlin said the Minister of General Affairs has been informed of the discrepancies. Marlin further explained that the Minister of General Affairs now has to coordinate with the Minister of Justice for a solution to be found.
In the meantime, two persons who are in possession of their residency permit that does not have the 'date stamp' said they contacted IND to see if they are able to rectify the mistake but IND informed them that the Minister of Justice has to take a decision on how they should proceed with correcting the mistakes.
It is still not clear how many people are walking around with residency permits that are not totally legal. Also not clear is if the mistake was only made with the three year permits that were granted after the letter that was sent on August 2 2010.
The letter from the former Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles was sent to the Lt. Governors (Local Heads of Police,) the heads (temporary) of the Immigration departments, the New Admissions Organization (NTO) –instructing them to grant all persons residing in the Netherlands Antilles before December 31 2001 a three year permit.
Efforts made to get clarity from the head of IND Robert Barbey proved futile on Wednesday as the department head said he was too busy to talk with reporters.
