Manual immigration checks in Grenadines set for digital upgrade 

By Val Matthias. Updated 1:36 p.m., Wednesday, June 17, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

The government is exploring new digital systems aimed at strengthening border security and improving the monitoring of people entering St Vincent and the Grenadines through the Grenadines, according to Minister of National Security Major St Clair Leacock.

Speaking on NBC Radio’s Face to Face programme on June 17, Major Leacock said national security extended far beyond policing and encompassed broader issues such as border management and immigration controls.

He said authorities were seeking to modernise the way information on arriving passengers is collected and transmitted, particularly in the Grenadines where some immigration data is still processed manually.

“Border security is now much wider and better defined than just necessarily having your coast guard services, for example, not allowing boats through what is substantially porous borders in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” the minister said.

According to Major Leacock, immigration officers stationed in the Grenadines currently collect information by hand before periodically returning the records to mainland St Vincent. However, he said systems are now in place to allow information to be transmitted automatically and digitally in real time.

He added that several agencies had approached the government with proposals offering more advanced and cost-effective technological solutions.

Major Leacock also disclosed that he recently held discussions with authorities in Mustique, which has developed its own digital immigration data capture system tailored to the island’s specific circumstances.

“If successful for Mustique, it will be expanded for the other Grenadines countries to assist in border security,” he said, adding that the model could eventually be adopted more broadly as part of efforts to tighten the country’s borders.

The minister noted that St Vincent and the Grenadines has several official ports of entry, but also areas that are not designated entry points, making effective border management an important aspect of national security.

He pointed to the introduction of advance passenger information systems, which allow immigration authorities to receive information on travellers before they arrive, replacing the paper-based embarkation and disembarkation forms once used by passengers.

Major Leacock said the government was continuing to examine domestic solutions and technological innovations that could enhance border security while ensuring the appropriate use of personal information.

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