Barbados Moves to Extend Citizenship to Great-Grandchildren of Bajans
Prime Minister Mia Mottley tells the Barbadian diaspora that proposed citizenship reforms would give grandchildren and great-grandchildren a new pathway to register as citizens.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has renewed her government’s push to extend Barbadian citizenship to grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Barbadian citizens, framing the proposed reform as a way to strengthen ties between Barbados and generations of its diaspora.
In a September 29 message directed in part to Barbadians in Toronto and around the world, Mottley said families who left the island had helped build other nations while continuing to support Barbados and pass their connection to the country on to their children.
A Message to the Diaspora
“My friends, you crossed oceans and helped build nations. You sent money home and taught your children to love a country some had never seen,” Mottley wrote.
She said that connection should not end after one generation and confirmed that the government is moving to widen access to citizenship by descent.
“We are moving to extend citizenship by descent to the great-grandchildren of Bajans. They, too, must have the choice to come home,” she said.
What the Proposed Law Would Change
The change is not yet in force. The Barbados Consulate General in Toronto currently states that children with at least one parent born in Barbados are entitled to Barbadian citizenship by descent, while grandchildren and great-grandchildren are not currently eligible.
The Barbados Citizenship Bill, 2026 would expand the law. Under the bill, a person born outside Barbados who is a grandchild or great-grandchild of a Barbadian citizen could apply to the Minister to be registered as a citizen, subject to the provisions of the legislation, the prescribed application process and applicable fees.
The bill was formally noticed in Parliament on April 21, 2026. Barbados Parliament’s current bills listing continues to show the measure at the House of Assembly stage, meaning the proposed expansion should not be treated as an existing citizenship entitlement until the legislation completes the parliamentary process and comes into force.
My friends, you crossed oceans and helped build nations. You sent money home and taught your children to love a country some had never seen.
That love must never end with one generation.
We are moving to extend citizenship by descent to the great-grandchildren of Bajans. They,… pic.twitter.com/MGLAS7cEIs
— Mia Amor Mottley (@miaamormottley) September 29, 2026
Part of a Wider Citizenship Reform
The proposal is part of a broader effort by the Mottley administration to revise Barbados’ citizenship and immigration framework.
Mottley publicly outlined the government’s intention in August 2025, saying the reforms would extend citizenship rights through the Bajan family line to great-grandchildren. The 2026 bill now sets out the proposed legal mechanism for grandchildren and great-grandchildren born overseas to apply for registration as Barbadian citizens.
The measure could be particularly significant for established Barbadian communities in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere, where some families are now several generations removed from relatives who were born in Barbados.
An Invitation to Reconnect
Mottley’s latest message emphasized cultural and family connection as much as legal status.
“So bring the children. Bring the grandchildren. Let them walk where their grandparents walked. Let them feel the love behind the stories,” she wrote.
Addressing the diaspora in Toronto and beyond, she added: “To our family in Toronto and across the world, you are ours. We are yours. There will always be a place for you here.”
The Prime Minister closed the message with a declaration of national identity: “One people. One Barbados. Bajan to the bone.”
For descendants interested in the proposed pathway, the distinction remains important: the legislation would create the expanded route if enacted, but current consular guidance still excludes grandchildren and great-grandchildren from citizenship by descent.
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Alwin Marshall-Squire is the Editor-in-Chief of S-Q Publications Inc., overseeing editorial strategy for GTA Weekly, GTA Today, and Vision Newspaper. He leads the publications’ mission to deliver bold, original journalism focused on the people and communities of the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, and the global Caribbean diaspora.
Also writes for GTA Weekly and GTA Today.
