Jamaicans and their families were given the opportunity to truly access several services as if they were back home. Under the leadership of Mr. Andrew Wynter, the mission was to provide passport, immigration and citizenship services to Hartford residents and members of the Northeast Diaspora. This was accomplished through the “Access Jamaica” program. More than 450 Jamaicans living in the region received such services.

PICA visit filled a void that many Jamaicans saw as a major challenge in the community for decades. Prior to this visit, residents had to travel to New York or return to Jamaica for process of such transactions. While these services are offered online, some of our residents are limited and find it difficult to navigate through the online process, including access to technology. With the provision of “real time” in-person services, residents were able to get answers to all their questions. This “one stop shop” venture was an amazing experience as residents were able to complete applications for:

• Passports (photos/new/renewals/stolen/lost/replacements/notorizations/special cases)
• Unconditional Landing
• Citizenship by Descent
• Birth Certificates
• IDS – Tax registration number (TRN), land & legal matters, property matters and more.

 The PICA team members were extremely efficient in dealing with the challenges of all residents while exceeding our expectations. In addition, there were other services that were made available, such as Jamaica National Money, Victoria Mutual, Grace Kennedy/Western Union, and Integrated Diaspora Services (IDS). The friendly atmosphere from Jamaica was captured by the exuberant performances of Nordia Teape (IDS representative) and members of PICA, working collectively to provide solutions.

In spite of the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to protect the public, services were contentious over the three day period and residents were satisfied. For a community that has been underserved in these types of services, the presence of PICA was a giant leap and the community is grateful. “Access Jamaica” has provided us with new hope and optimism that the Northeast Diaspora will continue to receive services of this magnitude. Again, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude of thanks to the team of PICA, IDS and the Jamaican government for their relentless efforts in attending to the needs of the Jamaicans in the Northeast Diaspora. On behalf of the CT. Jamaica Diaspora NE, we want to thank the Jamaica Passport, Immigration, & Citizenship Agency (PICA) and IDS for their visit to Hartford, Connecticut on October 8 – 11, 2021.