Reflections on the QRP Program
They started the QRP
program just
about the time we (already) arrived in Belize in 1999, and I know a lot of
people who did (and didn't) participate. The program was administered
for years by Gina Escalante, and it had her personal stamp on it, i.e. it
remained faithful to her vision until she left the job about a year ago.
There may have been changes since then.
Originally the program was
Qualified Retired Persons, and was 55, and required that you deposit $2000 US
in a Belizean bank every month. They lowered the qualifying age to 45,
where it stands. For about 3 years (probably to accelerate the program)
they lowered the deposit requirement to $1000. Then they "raised
the bar," in Gina's words, back to $2000. The program originally
prohibited participants from working at all, but the practical truth is that
the GOB wants jobs, and the best way to get jobs (other than government jobs
<LOL>) is to encourage small business start-ups. So, you could
work in your own business, esp. if you employ Belizeans.
You are entitled to bring
in a container of "household goods" with a nominal worth of
$15,000US. (This is also true of the Permanent Residence program; a fact
which is not well publicised.) They will not make you take everything
out of the container in order to inventory it. So, despite the fact that
there was supposed to be a $100 per year licence to import and use a satellite
dish, many retirees brought one in in their container and never paid anything.
So, if you planned to start a business, it would be logical to bring some
things that you would need in the business.
One of my friends, who
used the Permanent Resident program to gain residency (stay a year first)
talked to customs about the fact that he was entitled to bring in a container
of household goods. Originally, he brought everything in a big Ford
250 Pickup. "Could he bring in a container?"
"Yes" they said,
because it had not yet been a year. He had a tool sharpening business in
the states.
"Can I bring in my
tool sharpening tools?"
"Yes" they said.
Tools are good. Tools increase productivity, and Belize needs a lot of
that!!
So, he brought all of his
tools, as well as a lot of furniture and stuff.
My friend is a reasonable
guy, and they were reasonable with him. And I think that is usually the
case.
It certainly was with us.
We shipped about a half container down right after we got here (not residents
yet) and they charged me $400. Reasonable.
An interesting aside on
the QRP. The Permanent Residence program made the Immigration Department
"sustainable" -- charging $650 per person. Of course, they
were very lackadaisical (as only Belizean Bureaucrats can be) about
administration. They lost papers regularly, made people re-apply, turned
some people down, etc. And then the QRP came along -- administered by
Gina and (serious) Mark Espat.at the Belize Tourist Board. They didn't
fool around. And they had hundreds of takers!! Suddenly the BTB
was "sustainable." And <surprise> the revenues
dropped off drastically at Immigration. Very shortly, people were
getting their Permanent Residency in quick time -- less than a month in some
cases!!!!
Now, I understand, malaise
has set in again. Too bad. I have a couple of friends who were
jacked around for over a year. And the new immigration policy underlines
the fact that it is OPTIONAL for Immigration to renew your tourist visa.
This local option is an open door to mordida, eh?
I discuss the petty
gouging here (Gouge The Gringo, I call it) that goes on, as one of the three
things that distress me about Belize. The GOB needs to clean house
in that regard. But this, after all, is Belize, and I won't count
on it.
New:
The GOB has actually gutted the QRP program. Both Mark & Gina are
gone, they doubled the financial requirement, and now you are not a resident,
you are a "permanent tourist." (Which means that they can
charge you the exorbitant exit fee if they
choose to.)
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