The Barbados Bar Association has reiterated that attorneys seeking to practise in Barbados under the new CARICOM cross-border mobility initiative must continue to meet all statutory admission and registration requirements. The clarification follows the launch of the initiative on Wednesday, which grants citizens of Barbados, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Belize the right to live, work, and study indefinitely in participating states without a work permit. The article, written by Emmanuel Joseph and published by Barbados Today on 3 October 2025, highlights growing enquiries within the legal community regarding the initiative’s implementation.
Bar President Kaye Williams noted that, while the Association strongly supports regional freedom of movement, this does not exempt incoming professionals from adhering to national regulatory obligations. She referenced Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s reminder that the new mobility regime “is not a licence for professionals to operate in Barbados without adherence to the rules and regulations governing the practice of their professions,” reaffirming that legal practitioners must still comply with all statutory requirements.
Accordingly, attorneys must continue to obtain a valid practising certificate and comply with the Professional Services Registration Act and the Profession, Trade and Business Registration Act. These laws govern a broad range of professions—including lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects, engineers, and journalists—and require registration with the Registrar of the Supreme Court and payment of annual licence fees.
The four participating CARICOM states are the first to operationalise this expanded freedom of movement regime, which also grants incoming citizens access to local social, educational, and health benefits.