Trinidad and Tobago

In Trinidad and Tobago, temporary migration management schemes have not proven to positively affect access to birth registration. The country conducted a 2 week long migrant registration exercise in 2019. It issued one-year work permits to some 16,000 Venezuelans aimed to promote labour market integration. A re-registration exercise was conducted in March 2021 with a Work Permit Exemption being extended to December 2023. The permit is not considered a national ID and cannot be used for birth registration or to obtain a birth certificate. Anyone not registered during this amnesty period was treated as an ‘illegal’ migrant. The twin islands record all hospital births. However, birth certificates cannot be issued to migrant parents without a valid passport. This is impossible to obtain for the majority, especially those who were not registered in 2019 and remain undocumented. CEDAW (2016) recommended that Trinidad & Tobago ensure compulsory birth registration to prevent the risk that women and girls, in particular girls in remote areas, become stateless and vulnerable to trafficking.