London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Aspiring citizens should be required to take a written test

Aspiring citizens should be required to take a written test

While suggesting that the BVI’s openness to immigrants is contributing to cultural erosion, local attorney Patricia Archibald-Bowers said aspiring citizens should be required to take a written test to prove they know indigenous BVI culture.

She said this is one way to ensure the territory’s culture is preserved.

Archibald-Bowers made the suggestions when she appeared as a panellist at a roundtable talk on constitutional reform at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College on November 8.

She mentioned that the BVI could follow the footsteps of the United States which currently requires aspiring citizens to sit a written test.

“We’re a very welcoming country - the British Virgin Islands - and we have become more welcoming to the detriment of our culture. I believe that if you come into somebody’s home you conform and it is the same as if you come into the Virgin Islands you conform to our culture,” Archibald-Bowers argued.

“When I was growing up, stores didn’t open on Sundays. We didn’t sell frocks and panties and those things on a Sunday. Doors were shut. That was not our culture and the BVIslander was not the one that broke it and we allowed it. We have allowed certain things to drift in and the question is now, ‘how do we pull it back’?” Bowers said.

She said along with the test for citizenship, the BVI could also make inclusions within its constitution which set the framework for defining the BVI’s culture.

“Then we now have to look at what we put into the constitution as far as, what is BVI culture? Is it that we have a commission that determines these are the cultural norms of the Virgin Islands? Do you realise that the BVIslander is one of the few citizens of the Caribbean that does not go to live in another country? That says something about our culture, it’s a good culture. We need to protect the BVIslander and I really don’t apologise for it” Archibald-Bowers said.

Pickering disagrees


In commenting on the ways that the BVI constitution can help to preserve its culture, former legislator Dr Kedrick Pickering said the BVI should strive to embrace multiculturalism.

“The BVI, whether we like it or not, will have to embrace multiculturalism. One of the things I remember growing up was that every house had a little safe. In that safe there used to be one or two cups. What were they for? In case somebody stops by you could give them a cup of water to drink. We are a very welcoming people, that is the culture of the BVI I remember, we were warm. How do we embody that as a part of our cultural identity is a question I think we need to grapple with,” Pickering explained.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×