-by NaAsia Bristol

The Ministry of Home Affairs has revamped immigration services, allowing applications for visas, work permits and extensions to be completed online via the Immigration Support Services platform.

This shift from a paper-based system has significantly improved efficiency, reducing processing times from months to as little as two weeks or even days, with complete documentation. 

“All of those services that used to take a very long time, lots of paper, requiring heavy in-person presence, turning up to make your payments, we’ve been able to put that entire stream of services online,” Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond said during a recent event.

The system allows applicants to complete forms in minutes, upload documents and track their status without visiting the Ministry.

This was further explained by Acting Head of Immigration Support Services, Melessa Pinheiro, who said, “An applicant can apply within five minutes. Also, it’s one central. It’s very transparent. It’s predictable. If we’re saying that once you make an application and you have all your documents, you will receive an approval based on the amount within a couple of days.”

Since the digital system’s rollout in October 2025, over 13,000 applications have been approved, primarily for work permits.

Daily processing increased from about 60 to 150 approvals, a crucial development as Guyana seeks to attract foreign workers in light of its rapid economic growth.