MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands status awards to be marked with ceremony

British and Commonwealth citizens, who have resided continuously for seven years in the Falkland Islands can apply to Executive Council, the Islands' Government's upper house, for ?Falkland Islands Status', which is the equivalent of citizenship in other countries.

Previously applicants, who successfully met the appropriate criteria, could collect their Certificate of Status and the all-important stamp in their British passports from the office of the Customs and Immigration Department, but this is all about to change.

Retiring Governor Howard Pearce announced last week that in future applications for status will be considered by Executive Council, on a quarterly basis and that the granting of Falkland Islands status to successful applicants will be marked by an appropriate ceremony at Government House within thirty days of approval being granted.

This decision follows similar moves in the United Kingdom in recent years and also mirrors the practice in the USA where the award of citizenship is an important occasion in the lives of many immigrants and attended by relatives and friends.

John Fowler (Mercopress) Stanley