Govt to tighten regulations on granting of Guyanese citizenship, land ownership by non-citizens

Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall stated that the Government is moving to tighten regulations on the granting of Guyanese citizenship as well as land ownership by non-citizens.
He added that the legal and regulatory frameworks governing immigration and citizenship in Guyana are under review.

Non-citizens can currently purchase and own private freehold property and land in Guyana with the same legal rights as local citizens, though the Government announced plans in September 2026 to review and tighten regulations surrounding non-citizen land and property ownership.
Speaking during his programme, “Issues in the News”, on Tuesday evening, he said this review is being conducted by the AG’s Chambers in collaboration with the Labour and Manpower Planning, Home Affairs, and the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministries.
“Of course, a large part of our citizenship laws is constitutional. A large part of our citizen regulatory framework, rather, is constitutional. So that can’t be changed by ordinary legislation. But the aspects of it that can be changed by ordinary legislation that is currently being reviewed are the objective, which is to restrict acquisition of Guyanese citizenship, to put checks and balances in place, to regulate with greater scrutiny the grant of citizenship, and to regulate land ownership or property ownership in respect of non-citizens of Guyana.”
He said the issue remains topical, noting that several key stakeholder organisations have made a case to the Government and continue to advocate for the initiative to begin.
The AG explained that the process will be consultative, while outlining the Government’s intended approach to regulations in the areas of citizenship, labour, health and safety.
Noting that these are very topical issues, Nandlall assured that the review process will be widely consultative.
Further speaking on the Government’s legislative agenda, Nandlall noted that the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning is undertaking two important exercises in relation to the country’s labour landscape. The first is a comprehensive review of Guyana’s existing labour laws.

“And we have a consultant here, Justice Deborah Thomas-Felix, former president of the Industrial Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and another expert from the International Labour Organization, ILO. They are looking at the current landscape. They are identifying the gaps. And then they will submit a report, out of which we will draw recommendations of different types, including statutory outputs.”
He noted that consultations are ongoing with stakeholders, including various Government ministries and agencies, as well as members of the private sector and wider civil society.
The other important undertaking is a review of the country’s health and safety regulatory framework.
“This is crucial to ensure the safety of our workers, in particular in areas in the new and emerging sectors in our country, where we have little or no relevant regulatory framework. So, this health and safety regulatory initiative is intended to address issues in that area. In terms of our immigration and citizenship laws, that is also the subject of a review by the ministries and of course, a large part of our citizenship laws is constitutional.”