Migration: Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has begun handing out one-year Minister’s Permits, official documents that let migrants live and work legally on the Caribbean island. More than 2,500 migrants paid the permit fee in the first four days, from 1 to 4 November 2026.

Trinidad lies about 11 km off Venezuela’s coast, so its migration rules matter well beyond the island. For US readers, the scheme shows how a Caribbean neighbour of Venezuela is managing the fallout of the Venezuelan exodus.

In Plain English

A Minister’s Permit is a one-year legal permission to live and work in Trinidad and Tobago. The Migrant Registration Framework (MRF) is the government programme, run by the Ministry of Homeland Security, that let undocumented migrants sign up for one.

What Is Happening

The government opened online registration from 26 January to 25 February 2026 for undocumented migrants of all nationalities. An earlier exercise in 2019 registered about 16,500 Venezuelan adults in a two-week window, from 31 May to 14 June.

This time 29,276 migrants applied, and 20,242 were recommended for permits after security vetting. The scheme is one side of the island’s migration picture, and our earlier report on suspected illegal immigrants detained shows the other.

Payments for the permits began on Sunday 1 November 2026. Between 1 and 4 November, the payment system recorded 2,592 transactions and TT$1,839,610 (about US$274,000) in fees.

Container yard and a cruise ship at the Port of Spain wharf (Photo: Christianwelsh, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Early turnout was low, with only 106 payments on Sunday 1 November and just two on Monday 2 November because of technical problems with the payment system. Tuesday 3 November was the peak with about 1,530 transactions, followed by 952 on Wednesday 4 November.

Angie Ramnarine, coordinator of the La Romaine Migrant Support Group (a charity helping migrants), said some migrants were still raising money for the fee. She also said people who registered together sometimes got different decisions, such as a couple where only one partner was approved.

Ramnarine urged migrants to finish the process before December. The ministry has set no final collection deadline.

How To Collect a Permit

From Friday 6 November 2026, all approved applicants can pay and collect, whatever their nationality.

• Check that your status on www.migrantregistration.gov.tt reads “Approved”, because only that status qualifies.
• Pay TT$710 (about US$106) at an NLCB Lotto booth.
• Bring the same ID you used at registration, even if it has expired, plus your proof of payment.
• Collect the permit at the MRF Collection Centre in Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, in central Trinidad, where you will be photographed in coloured clothing rather than a white top.
• Go Monday to Friday between 8 am and 4 pm, except public holidays and the closed days of 18, 20, 24 and 27 November and 1, 4 and 8 December 2026.

The help desk answers on 613-1505 and at [email protected].

Why It Matters Beyond Trinidad

The registration follows the Venezuelan exodus, but people of many nationalities applied, which is a wider scope than in 2019. Legal status now decides who can work openly on an island that sits so close to Venezuela.

For US readers, Trinidad is a Caribbean neighbour of Venezuela, so how it handles migration shapes regional pressures. Permits also matter to American businesses with staff there, because holders can work legally.

Energy ties add another layer, as our report on Trinidad’s gas talks with Venezuela and US politics shows. Our explainer on the population and ethnic groups of Trinidad and Tobago gives the wider background.

What Is Not Known

Officials have not given a final collection deadline. Nor is it clear how many of the 20,242 approved applicants have collected, beyond the more than 2,500 who paid in the first four days.

The nationality breakdown of approved applicants has not been published. It is also unexplained why spouses who registered together received different decisions.

What It Means for You

If you travel or do business in Trinidad, more migrants there may soon hold formal permits to work legally. That is a change from the past, when many could not.

Holders cannot leave and re-enter while the permit is valid, and some migrants told reporters they had planned Christmas trips home and must now reconsider. The next weeks should show whether turnout rises and whether a firm deadline is set.

You can follow further developments in our Trinidad and Tobago coverage. The process is still in its early days, and the picture should become clearer by December.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can get a Minister’s Permit in Trinidad?

Only migrants whose registration status reads “Approved” qualify. The ministry says 20,242 of 29,276 applicants had been recommended for permits after security vetting.

Can permit holders travel abroad?

No, the permits and MRF cards are not travel documents. Holders cannot leave and re-enter the country while the permit is valid.

How much does the permit cost?

Approved applicants pay TT$710 (about US$106) at booths of the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), the state lottery agency. They then collect the permit at the stadium in Couva.