111 men and women of 20 countries gain Belizean citizenship 

One hundred and eleven men and women from twenty-two countries were officially sworn in today as Belizean nationals during a citizenship ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Immigration in Belmopan. The newest citizens, representing nations across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, took the Oath of Allegiance, marking the final step in becoming a Belizean citizen.  Addressing the gathering, Minister of Immigration Kareem Musa welcomed the new citizens while commending the staff of the Immigration and Nationality Department for the tremendous progress made over the past year. Musa praised the department’s efforts to clear longstanding backlogs in nationality applications, digitize thousands of important records, and improve services for both applicants in Belize and Belizeans living in the diaspora.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration: “Let me take a moment to commend and congratulate the Nationality and Passports Department. We have our personnel over there for their very hard work over the last year. These officers cleared a mountain of pending files. The scrutinizing committee convened twice a month instead of once. They shortened processes from years to just a matter of months. A prototype digital archive began transforming fragile paper into secure pixels. Hubs that are situated in New York, Los Angeles and Houston, resolved thousands of nationality by descent cases. Senior staff ranks tripled to meet the increasing demand. An online passport portal stands ready for launch. Each improvement that has been made at our nationality department widens the pathway that you all walk today. A pathway to citizenship is a phrase that I have often pondered. And the meaning is different for everyone. Our mandate, whether through tourism or in this case through governance, is to welcome immigrants from all corners of the globe.” 

The largest contingent of new citizens came from Honduras with thirty-two recipients, followed by twenty-eight from El Salvador. Others originated from the United States, India, Bangladesh, Cuba, Canada, Nigeria, Mexico, Nicaragua, Belgium, Bolivia, China, France, Ghana, Haiti, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

Minister Musa also reflected on the significance of becoming a Belizean citizen, telling the newly naturalized nationals that citizenship is about far more than receiving a passport. He encouraged them to embrace the country’s values, contribute to their communities, and take pride in helping to shape Belize’s future.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration: “How many times have you in this room heard the phrase, “Belize is a friendly country. We are a melting pot.” These are atypical phrases we use when speaking of our life in paradise, this jewel. But we aren’t always welcoming when you read the online comments it is clear that some people don’t understand and appreciate the responsibility and honor it is to be Belizean. A pathway to citizenship is not easy but it has opened us up to skills, careers, and work that we don’t want to do, or even to professions that did not exist before in Belize. It has kept us youthful, dynamic and entrepreneurial. It has catapulted and sculpted our character as a people with possibilities as we are all capable of reinventing ourselves as we choose.”

The minister noted that Belize has long been strengthened by people from different backgrounds who have chosen to make the country their home, adding that every new citizen brings skills, experiences and ideas that enrich the nation.