Stranded Guyanese exceeding stay in US must file for an extension of stay

Guyanese who would exceed, or already have exceeded, their approved stay while being stranded in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic are being asked to file for an extension of stay.

United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch

This was indicated by the US Embassy in a notice posted to its social media Facebook page on Friday.
Many persons who were forced to remain in the US after Guyana had closed its borders, including the two international airports, in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus here have expressed concern in regard to whether their visitors’ visas would be cancelled if they overstayed, though unwillingly, their approved time.
However, the US Embassy in Georgetown said, “Some non-immigrants may be forced to remain in the United States beyond their authorised period of stay because of travel restrictions stemming from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. If visa holders anticipate that they will be in the U.S. beyond their authorised period of stay, they should file for an extension of their stay through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)… This can be done by following the instructions at https://www.uscis.gov/i-539”
According to the Embassy, “Lengthy stays in the United States on a visitor visa, and failure to request a timely extension of stay, can affect your continued eligibility for a visitor visa.”
Hundreds of Guyanese stranded in the US as well as other countries around the world have been pleading with the Guyana Government to allow them to return to Guyana.
In fact, a group of Guyanese stranded in the US have since written the National COVID-19 Task Force, urging that they be granted permission to return home. The letter, dated May 18, stated that those Guyanese are willing to abide by all established protocols to return home, including being tested. In an interview with Guyana Times last week, those persons said they were desperate to return home.
Following mounting pressure, the caretaker Administration, through the National COVID-19 Task Force, finally announced last week that it has approved the conditional return of some 300 Guyanese stranded overseas. This approval encompasses Guyanese in Trinidad and Tobago and in US, including New York, New Jersey, Florida and other states, as well as in other countries. This approval would however apply only to those who have registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as at Thursday, May 21, 2020. Moreover, the approval does not include Guyanese who are resident in other countries.
Persons returning are also mandated to meet the requirements set out by the Public Health Ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies, including a 14-day mandatory quarantine and undergoing a COVID-19 test prior to arrival. These results (PCR, with results in English language) would have to be provided at least 48 hours before arriving in Guyana.
Only air travel has been approved, and persons have to fund their flight costs. Moreover, persons are expected to pay for their mandatory two weeks’ quarantine at two private hotels earmarked by local authorities, if they do not want to stay at any of the state’s quarantine facilities.
However, with the cost of two weeks’ stay at the private hotels amounting to some $100,000, this condition has been described as “harsh” by the Private Sector Commission (PSC). While the local body has welcomed the decision to allow the stranded Guyanese to return home, it says the most convenient measures must be employed during this period.
In fact, the PSC has written the National Task Force on the issue, requesting that it reconsider and relax some of the conditions imposed on the returning Guyanese.
During a virtual press conference on Thursday, PSC Chairman Captain Gerry Gouveia voiced his concerns on the matter. “I think some of the measures are a little bit unrealistic and unreasonable. If the person is tested before they get on the plane, and then they’re tested again when they get off the plane in Guyana, and we’re still demanding that those people endure a 14-day quarantine in a Government facility or hotel, I think… that if people are corona-free before they board the plane and before they enter Guyana, and if we want to quarantine them, we should let them do it in their own homes, rather than forcing them either into a state facility or a private hotel,” he posited.
The PSC also suggested in its letter to the Task Force that, in order to make the home-quarantine effective, it should impose a penalty of a $100,000 fine on anyone who breaches this condition.
Meanwhile, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Fields, has disclosed that that body has proposed a four-phase plan for reopening Guyana’s borders. The plan entails reopening first to regional traffic, then to international passengers around August to December, and a resumption to normalcy in the new year.
The current emergency measures and curfew in place would be in effect until June 3. However, caretaker President David Granger on Friday said the “curfew will remain”, but did not say until when.