Procedures for instituting special status for the diaspora in offing

NETHERLAND: Tanzania is set to establish procedures for instituting special status for citizens living in the diaspora by the end of 2024.

Mr January Makamba, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, revealed this at a dinner event organized by the Tanzanian diaspora in the Netherlands.

“Among the issues that will be given top priority is the right to inherit or bequeath property to Tanzanian diaspora members living abroad.

“With Special Status, individuals will be allowed to return home and stay for as long as they want without paying for a visa. However, our immigration law must first be reviewed and amended to permit this return without visa charges,” stressed Minister Makamba in response to concerns raised in a speech read by a representative of the Tanzanian diaspora Union in the Netherlands, Sylvana Lubuva.

According to available statistics at Tanzania’s Embassy in Amsterdam, there are approximately 3,000 Tanzanians living in the Netherlands.