PHILIPSBURG — The long-awaited digital transformation of the Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND) has hit a snag, with Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling confirming that the new system’s launch has been pushed back to April 2026.
During Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, Minister Tackling addressed concerns regarding ongoing delays, the permit backlog, and questions surrounding "red flags" on investor applications.
System Launch Delayed to Avoid Confusion
Initially slated for a January rollout, the new immigration management system is now expected to go live in the second quarter of the year. Minister Tackling explained that the delay was a strategic decision to prevent administrative chaos.
"The idea was that we would launch at the beginning of this year. However, not all of the system is ready," Tackling stated. She noted that the department considered a partial launch but ultimately rejected the idea. "I didn't want us to have some permits in a new system while family members would have to apply in the old system. That's not efficient."
The Minister emphasized that a "splintered, segmented system" would confuse the public and burden immigration staff by checking two separate databases. She has instructed the developers to deliver a fully complete system before going public. Once ready, the launch will be accompanied by a multilingual awareness campaign in English, Spanish, and Creole to ensure all segments of the population can navigate the new process.
Backlog Battle Continues
Despite the technological delays, the Minister maintained that significant progress has been made on the processing backlog.
"Up to last week, I was told, hey, we're pretty much caught up," Tackling said, though she acknowledged that individual cases often slip through the cracks. She attributed many lingering delays to incomplete files or communication breakdowns, including emails from the IND that fail to reach applicants.
However, media reports suggest a different reality on the ground, with claims that simple renewal requests have gone unanswered for over a year. The Minister committed to investigating these specific discrepancies.
Unexplained “Red Flags” for Investors
A critical point of contention arose over reports that foreign investors are encountering "red flags" in their residency applications, allegedly delaying major real estate purchases.
When pressed on why legitimate investors might be flagged, Minister Tackling admitted she was unfamiliar with specific cases requiring a permit before purchasing property. "That doesn't make sense to me that you need a permit to buy a property, because normally you would buy the property first and request the permit after," she noted.
While she could not provide specific reasons for these flags without more details, Tackling defended the department’s compliance measures. She stressed that the IND must screen for public order, safety, and potential misuse of the immigration system.
"We have a compliance department within immigration... looking at, is there a kind of misuse of our immigration system going on?" she explained.
As the April deadline approaches, pressure remains on the Ministry of Justice to deliver a functional system that balances efficiency with the necessary security checks required for St. Maarten’s growing economy.