Over 2000 Guyanese remigrated over last 5 years – Todd

As part of efforts to tap into the vast expertise and resources within the Guyanese diaspora, the government has facilitated the successful remigration of more than 2,000 overseas-based Guyanese citizens over the last five years.

This was revealed by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd on Wednesday evening as he delivered his presentation to the ongoing debates on Budget 2026 in the National Assembly.

The Dr Irfaan Ali-led People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has positioned diaspora engagement as a critical part of its development agenda and the Foreign Affairs Ministry is tasked with connecting members of the Guyanese diaspora with what is happening across various sectors in the country.

“So far, between 2020 and 2025, we’ve assisted approximately 2,162 Guyanese who have successfully re-migrated to Guyana, and that is a part of our development agenda because, as you’re aware…His Excellency, the President would also like to tap into the human capital that can actually return to Guyana and to be a good fit in areas where we may have a need for their level of competency,” Minister Todd explained.

In addition to expertise, the Guyana Government is also looking to tap into the resources of Guyanese living overseas. According to the Foreign Affairs Minister, several overseas-based Guyanese business owners are returning, moving capital and/or expanding their businesses here or even partnering with companies in Guyana.

“So, it’s doing a lot for us in terms of creating employment and helping to build out our economy. So, we’re very focused, Mr. Speaker, on ensuring that we remain connected to the diaspora, remain engaging with the diaspora and to ensure that that connection can lead to a return, reintegration and allowing those diaspora to enjoy building out Guyana,” Todd posited.

In fact, during the 2020 to 2025 period, the Guyana Government, through the various embassies and consulate offices, had engaged approximately 3,000 residents from the diaspora in Suriname, the United States, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago.

To further facilitate similar diaspora engagements this year, the Ministry has allocated some $35 million in Budget 2026. According to Todd, they are working on a roadmap that will see not just overseas visits to meet with the diaspora, but also increased webinars and conferences to gauge the level and areas of interest by those persons living overseas as well as to help them seamlessly re-migrate to Guyana.

Moreover, the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry has also made it easier for members of the Guyanese diaspora to return home through enhanced efficiency at the overseas consulate offices especially with regards to passport services.

As a matter of fact, over the last five years, approximately 17,000 Guyanese passports have been processed for persons living in the diaspora and according to Minister Todd, they plan to ramp up this process in order to allow more persons to travel back to Guyana.

“We are attracting a lot of our returning Guyanese and if we’re going to be able to support our returning Guyanese through the diaspora engagement, then being able to facilitate travel documents and other instruments are very important for us. So, we’re taking that role also very seriously…and we have been very effective even more so now because we have a new technology in issuing of the passports.”

“And for those persons who may not have had or renewed their passports for many decades, in some cases decades, we want to ensure that they can have their passports because for them, that is, bringing their identity back and giving them an opportunity to return home even for visit because as you’re aware…His Excellency, the President is very focused in having more traffic, not only from outside the diaspora but also from within the diaspora,” he asserted.