Immigration Reform
Building systems that protect Gambians and welcome those who build with us.
The Gambia is a welcoming nation. Our hospitality is known across Africa and the world. But hospitality must never come at the expense of order, security, or national interest. The immigration system is governed by legislation written over sixty years ago, fragmented, inconsistently enforced, and out of step with the demands of a modernizing nation. Thousands of non-Gambians reside and operate businesses without being formally documented. There is no national biometric registry of foreign residents. Visa overstays are penalized with a fine so small it functions as an informal residency fee rather than a deterrent. Foreign nationals engage in commercial activities, acquire land, and participate in sensitive sectors without regulatory oversight. The current framework leaves enormous revenue uncollected, enormous security gaps unaddressed, and enormous opportunities for structured, beneficial immigration unexploited. The National Builders Party will replace this system entirely.
This reform is not anti-foreigner. It is pro-Gambia. A Gambia where every person within its borders is known, documented, and accountable. Where those who come to contribute are welcomed through a clear and organized process. Where Gambian sovereignty over land, natural resources, and key institutions is protected by law and not subject to negotiation. The National Builders Party supports lawful immigration, skilled foreign professionals, investors who build responsibly, cultural exchange, and international cooperation. What we reject is unregulated residency, untaxed foreign business dominance, land speculation, and security vulnerabilities. We protect our borders so we can open our doors. Immigration must serve national development. Under the NBP, it will.
The NBP will replace the Immigration Act CAP 3 of 1965 with a comprehensive National Immigration Reform Act, building a modern, technology-driven framework from the ground up.
The new Act will protect Gambian sovereignty, ensure every non-Gambian residing in the country is documented and accountable, generate new tax revenue, and create clear, fair, and enforceable pathways for those who wish to contribute to and build The Gambia alongside its citizens. It establishes the legal foundation for the ITIN system, the standardized visa categories, the immigration court, and the pathway to citizenship. Every immigration office in the country will be fully modernized within the first three years, with biometric capture stations, digital processing systems, and online application portals replacing the paper-based processes that currently define the experience of engaging with the immigration system.
The NBP will assign every non-Gambian residing in the country a unique Individual Taxpayer and Immigration Number and issue them a biometric National Foreign Resident ID Card.
Every non-Gambian staying beyond 30 days must register, submit biometric data including fingerprints, iris scan, and facial photograph, and provide verified address, occupation, and employer information. The ITIN links directly to tax authority systems, business registration databases, land and property registries, and work permit tracking. No non-Gambian may legally work, open a bank account, register a business, purchase property, or access non-emergency public services without a valid ITIN. The ID card is biometric, color-coded by visa category, and mandatory to carry at all times. Every foreign resident will be legally documented. That is the foundation of the entire system.
The NBP will replace the current fragmented visa and permit structure with seven clear, standardized categories, each with defined rights, durations, conditions, and digital tracking from entry to exit.
The seven categories are: Tourist Visa, Business Visit Visa, Student Visa, Skilled Worker Visa tied to a specific employer and role, Investor Visa for qualifying investment levels, Spouse and Family Visa for dependents of Gambian citizens, and Long-Term Residency Permit for those who have resided lawfully for five or more years. Every visa entry will be electronically logged. Overstays trigger automatic alerts and real consequences: fines starting at D5,000 for minor overstays, rising to D100,000 and criminal prosecution for extended overstays exceeding 90 days. The current D1,000 per month arrangement that effectively legitimizes illegal stays ends on day one. ECOWAS free movement will be fully respected while requiring registration and tax compliance for those residing beyond 90 days.
The NBP will require all non-Gambians residing and doing business in The Gambia to contribute to the national economy through full tax compliance, ending foreign economic participation without fiscal accountability.
All non-Gambians with residence permits must register with tax authorities using their ITIN, file income declarations where earning locally, and pay applicable personal income tax. Foreign business owners must register legally, pay business and property tax, and comply with Gambian labor law. This creates a level playing field for Gambian-owned businesses, increases national revenue, and ensures that every Dalasi generated by activity on Gambian soil contributes to the Gambian national family. A dedicated Non-Resident Taxpayer Division within the Gambia Revenue Authority will oversee compliance, with annual Non-Gambian Business Compliance Reports published from Year 3 onward.
The NBP will establish clear laws regulating foreign ownership of land, property, and participation in sectors essential to national sovereignty, ensuring Gambians are protected in their own country.
Foreign ownership of agricultural land, coastal property, and strategic real estate will require special government authorization. Rules will be transparent, regulated, and limited in sensitive areas, modeled on frameworks used by EU member states and adapted for the Gambian context. Foreign control of private schools, healthcare facilities, mass public housing, real estate development, and private security services will be subject to strict regulatory oversight. This protects Gambians from displacement, prevents land speculation, and safeguards national territory. It is not restriction for its own sake. It is sovereignty in practice.
The NBP will establish a dedicated Immigration Court system that guarantees due process for all, eliminates arbitrary enforcement, and gives every person subject to immigration action a fair and timely hearing.
Immigration Tribunals, operational in all seven administrative regions by Year 3, will hear appeals against visa refusals, deportation orders, work permit disputes, and long-term residency applications. An Immigration Appeals Court will sit above the Tribunals with power to set binding legal precedents. Every person subject to immigration proceedings has the right to written notice in a language they understand, legal representation, a fair hearing within 60 days, a government-provided interpreter, and the right to appeal within 21 days. No person may be detained for immigration purposes beyond 72 hours without a Tribunal order. Firm enforcement and fair process are not opposites. The NBP will deliver both.
The NBP will establish a clear, structured, and fair pathway to Gambian citizenship for non-Gambians who make The Gambia their permanent home and contribute meaningfully to its development.
Long-term residents who have resided lawfully for ten or more years, demonstrated financial self-sufficiency, maintained full tax compliance, shown proficiency in English and knowledge of Gambian civic life, and maintained a clean criminal record may apply for citizenship. The process includes a background check, a Civic Knowledge Test, a formal interview, and review by a Citizenship Advisory Panel. Successful applicants take the Oath of Allegiance at a formal naturalization ceremony. The Gambia will respect dual citizenship policies of the applicant's country of origin and does not require renunciation of prior citizenship. A clear pathway rewards genuine commitment to The Gambia and reflects our tradition of principled hospitality.
The NBP will pursue international technical partnerships and bilateral agreements to modernize the immigration system with world-class biometric technology, intelligence sharing, and coordinated border management.
Partnerships will be established with the International Organization for Migration for immigration officer training, Interpol for integration with global criminal databases, the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency for biometric systems technical assistance, and the United States Department of Homeland Security for screening and intelligence sharing. Bilateral agreements with Senegal, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States will cover reciprocal criminal background sharing, coordinated deportation and repatriation procedures, and joint border management protocols. Global cooperation will strengthen national capacity without compromising sovereignty. The Gambia will build an immigration system that is firm, fair, and globally connected.
For Gambian Citizens
You live in a country where your land, your economy, and your key institutions are governed by rules that put your interests first. Foreign businesses operating in The Gambia will be registered, taxed, and subject to the same laws as Gambian businesses. Foreign ownership of agricultural land, coastal property, and strategic real estate will require government authorization. The playing field will be level. Your sovereignty will be real, not symbolic.
For Young Gambians
A properly administered immigration system generates national revenue that funds schools, hospitals, roads, and public services. When foreign residents and businesses contribute their fair share through the tax system, the burden on Gambian taxpayers is reduced and the resources available for national development increase. A documented, accountable immigration system is not just about security. It is about building the national resource base that funds your future.
For Foreign Residents and Investors
The Gambia welcomes you. This reform creates clarity, not hostility. A standardized visa system, modern immigration offices, digital permit tracking, and a functioning immigration court mean that your status in The Gambia is clear, your rights are protected, and disputes have a fair resolution pathway. Investors who come to build responsibly will find a system designed to support them. What ends is the uncertainty, the informal arrangements, and the lack of due process that made operating in The Gambia unnecessarily difficult.
A nation that does not know who is within its borders cannot govern itself effectively. And a nation that does not protect its land, its resources, its institutions, and its economic opportunities for its own people is not truly governing at all. Under the National Builders Party, every foreign resident will be documented. Every foreign worker will be authorized. Every foreign business will be registered. Every foreign property transaction will be regulated. Every visa will be tracked. Every dispute will have due process. Every pathway to citizenship will be structured. This reform is not about building walls. It is about building systems. Systems that welcome those who come in good faith to contribute, that hold every person within our borders accountable to the same laws, and that ensure every Dalasi generated by activity on Gambian soil makes its proper contribution to the Gambian national family. The National Builders Party will build this system and keep it.
The Gambia is a welcoming nation. Our doors are open to those who come to contribute, to build, and to be part of this country's story. But welcome requires order. Order requires systems. The National Builders Party will build the systems that make our welcome real, our sovereignty secure, and our future protected.
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