By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-09-27 21:36:38 | Updated at 2026-09-27 22:10:49
2 hours ago
GUYANA · MIGRATION
Key Facts
- —The country Guyana, on South America’s Caribbean coast, counted 878,674 people in its 2022 census, roughly the population of San Francisco. Offshore oil has made it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
- —The background For decades more people left Guyana than arrived. The foreign-born share of residents has since nearly tripled, to 3.07 percent in 2022, and building sites now rely on imported labour.
- —Why now The government plans gas-fed industries, including a fertiliser plant, an alumina plant and large data centres. Ali says a new migration policy must supply the workers to build and run them.
- —What happened President Irfaan Ali said in an interview, first reported on 23 September, that the government is crafting a “flexible, dynamic, modern migration policy”.
- —The numbers Ali expects at least three million people “passing through” the economy by 2030. That means visitors and workers, not residents; Guyana recorded 453,489 visitor arrivals in 2025.
- —What it means for you Nothing changes yet for foreigners who want to work in Guyana. No draft has been published, and today’s visa and work-permit rules still apply.
- —Still open There is no timetable, and no detail on quotas, permits or rights. An earlier idea of residency without voting rights has not been confirmed.
Guyana, a small South American country turned oil producer, is preparing a new migration policy. President Irfaan Ali says the economy cannot keep growing without more workers from abroad.
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Some reports have said Guyana expects an influx of three million people by 2030. That is not what the president said, and for a country of under a million people the difference matters.
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What the president said
Ali spoke in an interview with journalist Kiana Wilburg about Guyana’s ties with Qatar. The state-owned Guyana Chronicle reported them on 23 September, and the government’s Department of Public Information published them on 26 September.
“We have to have a flexible, dynamic, modern migration policy,” he said, to meet “our needs and requirements in the future”. He named no date for it.
He pointed to Qatar, which built its economy with imported labour. The Gulf state sits close to large labour markets in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and China. “Here in Guyana, we are far away from large labour markets,” he said.
“But as a matter of necessity, we now have labour that is being imported.” On building sites, he asked: “Can you imagine a construction sector without the foreign workers now?”
Three million is not a population forecast
“I see an economy by 2030 where at least three million people will be passing through this economy,” Ali said. That, he added, “by itself creates its own demand”.
The government’s own summary describes these as people entering Guyana “for business, leisure and work”. It is a measure of traffic through the country, not of people settling there.
Neither Ali nor the government said whether three million is a yearly figure. For scale, Guyana recorded 453,489 visitor arrivals in 2025, a record and 22 percent more than in 2024.
The resident population is far smaller. The 2022 census counted 878,674 people, and the statistics bureau estimated about 956,000 by the end of 2024.
Three million new residents would more than triple the country. No official source projects anything of the kind.
Why Guyana needs workers
Guyana began pumping oil from the offshore Stabroek block, run by ExxonMobil, at the end of 2019. The revenue is now funding roads, housing and power projects, and the IMF counts Guyana among the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Its people were long heading the other way.
The 2022 census recorded a 17.6 percent rise in population over ten years. Officials presented it as the end of decades of decline.
Foreign-born residents rose from 1.10 percent of the population in 2012 to 3.07 percent in 2022. Ali said the next wave of projects will need more of them.
He listed the plan to bring offshore gas ashore, a large urea fertiliser plant, an alumina plant and hyperscale data centres. He also said Guyanese living abroad are central to the plan, with many returning to start businesses.
What the policy may contain
The government has been talking about a migration policy for more than a year. Before the 2025 election, Ali said the Attorney General’s office was studying foreign laws on imported labour.
In November 2025 Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo said residency without voting rights was being considered. “We want people to come and work because we need that … but they can’t change the nature of our society,” he said.
Jagdeo also linked the policy to a planned electronic ID system that would record details of non-nationals. He said the rights and duties of migrants would be discussed in a constitutional reform process.
What comes next
The next step would be a published draft or a bill in the National Assembly. Neither has appeared, and the government has given no timetable.
This does not mean Guyana is opening its doors to mass immigration, or that three million people are coming to live there. It means the government accepts that foreign labour is now a lasting part of its economy, and wants rules to manage it.
For anyone weighing a move, the practical guide remains current law. The Rio Times guide to moving to Guyana covers visas, work permits, costs and daily life in Georgetown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Guyana expecting three million new residents?
No. President Ali spoke of at least three million people passing through the economy by 2030, meaning visitors, business travellers and workers. Guyana has fewer than a million residents.
Has Guyana changed its immigration rules?
Not yet. The government says it is crafting a new migration policy, but no draft or bill has been published. Existing visa and work-permit rules still apply.
Why does Guyana need foreign workers?
Oil revenue is funding construction and new industries faster than the small local workforce can supply labour. The president says construction already depends on foreign workers.
What does Guyana’s three million figure mean?
President Irfaan Ali expects at least three million people “passing through” the economy by 2030 — visitors and workers, not residents; Guyana recorded 453,489 visitor arrivals in 2025.
Sources: Department of Public Information, Guyana, President Ali on migration policy, 26 September 2026, Guyana Chronicle via GNATA, 23 September 2026, Department of Public Information, 2022 census preliminary results, 12 January 2026, Department of Public Information, 2025 visitor arrivals, 11 January 2026, Department of Public Information, Vice-President Jagdeo on migration policy, 8 November 2025, Department of Public Information, IMF on Guyana’s growth, 31 July 2026, CubaHeadlines, 27 September 2026. All retrieved 27 September 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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