EDC Companies and Employment - Bill 31-0292

I think before this, one had to live here for 1 year prior to being hired by an EDC if not a local.

I think before this, one had to live here for 1 year prior to being hired by an EDC if not a local.

From the EDC website relating to the requirement that 80% of employees must be bona fide residents of the USVI:

"“Resident of the Virgin Islands” means (1) Any U.S. citizen domiciled in the Virgin Islands for one (1) year or more; (2) A person who has attended a school in the Virgin Islands for at least six (6) years or is a high school or University of the
Virgin Islands graduate and who is registered to vote in the Virgin Islands; or (3) A lawful permanent resident alien domiciled in the Virgin Islands for one (1) year or more.
A person shall demonstrate that he/she has been a resident for one (1) year or more for the purposes of the EDC by using the date of issuance information from a W-2 form, a voter registration card, a permanent resident card, or a Virgin Islands driver’s license."

This is what is changing. The gist of what I got from the discussion for Bill 31-0292 is that if you move here for a job with an EDC company, then even after one year of working for an EDC company you would NOT be considered a 'local', even in your second year or going forward.

You would have had to have lived here for at least a year BEFORE being employed by an EDC company to be considered part of the 80%. This limits the ability of EDC companies to bring in persons with skills not available in the territory, as they would never be considered locals under that companies EDC benefit categories.

However the details of this legislation will not be available for review for a few days - even thought it has been passed by the legislature and sent to the Gov. Apparently because it has been rushed through it was just given a bill number and passed in the same session so it won't be on the bill tracker website for a few days.

This is what is changing. The gist of what I got from the discussion for Bill 31-0292 is that if you move here for a job with an EDC company, then even after one year of working for an EDC company you would NOT be considered a 'local', even in your second year or going forward.

You would have had to have lived here for at least a year BEFORE being employed by an EDC company to be considered part of the 80%. This limits the ability of EDC companies to bring in persons with skills not available in the territory, as they would never be considered locals under that companies EDC benefit categories.

How is this different from the present requirement as excerpted previously?

Previously they could accept a job with an EDC company and move down. After a year they would become one of the 80% required locals.

This is what is changing. The gist of what I got from the discussion for Bill 31-0292 is that if you move here for a job with an EDC company, then even after one year of working for an EDC company you would NOT be considered a 'local', even in your second year or going forward.

You would have had to have lived here for at least a year BEFORE being employed by an EDC company to be considered part of the 80%. This limits the ability of EDC companies to bring in persons with skills not available in the territory, as they would never be considered locals under that companies EDC benefit categories.

How is this different from the present requirement as excerpted previously?

I'll give you an example:
Under todays rules If I have an EDC company with 10 employees, in year 1 I start with 2 employees who move here from the mainland, and 8 hired locally. During that year the company would report 8 local, 2 non local. But starting in year 2, assuming no staffing changes, the 2 people who had now been here a year would now be considered local. Therefore starting in year two the company would report 10 local, 0 non-local. This would allow the company to consider hiring 2 more persons from off-island who may have specialized skills.

But the new legislation this changes this. The 2 persons hired when just moving here would never be considered local. Even in year 2 onward they would still have to be counted and reported as non-local.
So even after one year the EDC company could not employ someone who just moved here without firing one of the first 2 individuals to make room under the quota.

Of course, after year 1 if a company fired the two imports, and then hired them again, I wonder if they would then be considered locals. This is one reason I want to read the legislation that was passed. 😎

Sounds to me intrinsically illegal where residency is concerned so hopefully you didn't hear it correctly!

How can they determine if someone moved here to work for an EDC? How can they prove intent? Another grandstanding bill, IMO.

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

Oh my, now sounds as though you grew up in Addlebrain Bryan's knee.

It's total rubbish to say that there are, "Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies" when in most cases it's primarily the local "bahn-here's" who are the sticking factor. I can rattle off the names of half a dozen people who were born and raised here, have excellent professional credentials and have tried unsuccessfully to come back and give back to the "their" community only to be shunned by their local "brothers". If I as a mere "transplant" can come up with that number then I'm sure that number is infinitely greater.

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

I got a kind of love/hate relationship with your posts on the forum but I just read and continue on my merry way.

I'm from here born and raised. Grew up as a "town man" and my moms lived in Castle Coakley so i'm now considered a "Castle man". I moved away to NYC after high school and I recently came back. I said I'm going to give it a year back. I could be making much more away. Honestly speaking, you guys gotta stop blaming people for the island being f'd up and look at your locals first. Yes people have companies and take advantage of the tax benefits that's why they're there. They do hire locals if you fit the bill. I recently just started working for an EDC so I'm not talking out my ass here. They have these jobs up for months and ... "some time" .... no one has the skills to fill em. I had to take a technical test(CSS/PHP/JS) before I even had my first interview and I'm pretty sure with that test they were some failures that DQ'd people from advancing.

Here's the plot twist I came here with the intensions to work in the government or the school system. My way of giving back because I know for a fact we are behind here as far as Web Technologies go. Guess who give me the cold shoulder? .... take a guess.....it wasn't the transplants.

Edit: When I say "here" I meant St.Croix and I edited my generalization up there.

I can rattle off the names of half a dozen people who were born and raised here, have excellent professional credentials and have tried unsuccessfully to come back and give back to the "their" community only to be shunned by their local "brothers". If I as a mere "transplant" can come up with that number then I'm sure that number is infinitely greater.

Love this--I'll add it to my signature. I made a typo originally; I meant to say blocked by the local political class and ignored by the EDC companies. I've said this time and time again: nobody hates ordinary locals more than the local political class. Still, I have observed terrible animus toward locals from EDC folks. Many have told me (when I am intentionally "yanking") that locals are lazy, stupid, do not show up to work, etc.

I made a typo originally;

Oh, right. Quite a "typo".

The bill has been loaded to the legislatures website:

http://www.legvi.org/vilegsearch/ShowPDF.aspx?num=31-0292&type=Bill

"An Act amending title 29 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 12, section 710 relating to employment of residents, providing that a nonresident hired by an entity receiving economic incentives, based in part upon how many Virgin Islands residents it hires, will continue to be identified as a nonresident hire throughout the person’s employment at the entity for the purposes of determining the entity’s continued receipt of economic incentives"

So, if you have lived here for less than a year and take a job at an EDC company, then you will forever be considered non-local for as long as you work for that company.

Anyone considering moving here with the intent to get a job with an EDC company should be aware of this restriction. If this becomes law the likelyhood of you being hired is slim, until you have lived here for at least a year.

There are some gaping holes here though. It does not provide any detail on how this applies to companies already in business today. Do they need to go back and re-classify their current workforce according to these rules? It could mean that many companies become immediately non-compliant under their EDC certificates with this new legislation.

Also interesting that in part (1) it refers to "...a beneficiary pursuant to this chapter or hired pursuant to any agreement with the Government of the Virgin Islands...". So according to this it is not only EDC companies but employees of any company receiving benefits under an agreement that contains a local employee quota clause. This would include Diageo and the new Limetree Bay operating agreement.

Let us see if the Gov signs this into law.

Another reason why I would never seek EDC benefits for my company. Having the government tell me who to hire, how much to pay them, what charities to support and how much to give them is something I could never accept. The tax concessions and paperwork nightmare just aren't worth it in my mind.

Another reason why I would never seek EDC benefits for my company. Having the government tell me who to hire, how much to pay them, what charities to support and how much to give them is something I could never accept. The tax concessions and paperwork nightmare just aren't worth it in my mind.

Yep. Husband considered moving his engineering company here a few years ago under EDC, then nixed the idea for some of the same reasons. Paperwork nightmare wasn't worth the effort, and too many strings attached. He was OK with hiring locals, though, but couldn't find enough here with the right skills and experience to even contract out the easiest work.

Exactly..then they make you hire unqualified people who just drain your resources. With the obvious bias toward the employee as far the the Dept. of Labor goes here, a business owner must be extremely careful who they decide to hire. One wrong choice could cost tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees and severance.

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

I got a kind of love/hate relationship with your posts on the forum but I just read and continue on my merry way.

I'm from here born and raised. Grew up as a "town man" and my moms lived in Castle Coakley so i'm now considered a "Castle man". I moved away to NYC after high school and I recently came back. I said I'm going to give it a year back. I could be making much more away. Honestly speaking, you guys gotta stop blaming people for the island being f'd up and look at your locals first. Yes people have companies and take advantage of the tax benefits that's why they're there. They do hire locals if you fit the bill. I recently just started working for an EDC so I'm not talking out my ass here. They have these jobs up for months and ... "some time" .... no one has the skills to fill em. I had to take a technical test(CSS/PHP/JS) before I even had my first interview and I'm pretty sure with that test they were some failures that DQ'd people from advancing.

Here's the plot twist I came here with the intensions to work in the government or the school system. My way of giving back because I know for a fact we are behind here as far as Web Technologies go. Guess who give me the cold shoulder? .... take a guess.....it wasn't the transplants.

Edit: When I say "here" I meant St.Croix and I edited my generalization up there.

They have those jobs up for months, sure...I'm happy that you were fortunate enough to land a web development-type job back home. I have been sending resumes to every company in the US Virgin Islands that has software development jobs listed ever since I came to Florida in February of 2015. I have NEVER received a response, so it's not like nobody is trying. Many times the jobs are posted simply to satisfy DOL requirements.

Before we start asking about qualifications, I hold a Masters Degree in Software Engineering. I have worked on multiple enterprise sized projects, using ASP.NET MVC, C#, JQuery, JavaScript, AngularJS, SQL Server, Entity Framework, Object-Oriented methodologies, CSS3, HTML5, and a host of other technologies. The biotech company that I design software for just started marketing the world's first dengue vaccine. I had to endure a four-hour long interview that included whiteboard questions and also a hands-on coding exercise on a laptop. I was not the only candidate competing for the position, but I got the job. I still get at least two calls from recruiters almost every day.

None of this has helped me to even get a phone screen with any of the firms listing software development jobs in the VI, so again I congratulate you. I'll continue to take my chances on the mainland.

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

I got a kind of love/hate relationship with your posts on the forum but I just read and continue on my merry way.

I'm from here born and raised. Grew up as a "town man" and my moms lived in Castle Coakley so i'm now considered a "Castle man". I moved away to NYC after high school and I recently came back. I said I'm going to give it a year back. I could be making much more away. Honestly speaking, you guys gotta stop blaming people for the island being f'd up and look at your locals first. Yes people have companies and take advantage of the tax benefits that's why they're there. They do hire locals if you fit the bill. I recently just started working for an EDC so I'm not talking out my ass here. They have these jobs up for months and ... "some time" .... no one has the skills to fill em. I had to take a technical test(CSS/PHP/JS) before I even had my first interview and I'm pretty sure with that test they were some failures that DQ'd people from advancing.

Here's the plot twist I came here with the intensions to work in the government or the school system. My way of giving back because I know for a fact we are behind here as far as Web Technologies go. Guess who give me the cold shoulder? .... take a guess.....it wasn't the transplants.

Edit: When I say "here" I meant St.Croix and I edited my generalization up there.

They have those jobs up for months, sure...I'm happy that you were fortunate enough to land a web development-type job back home. I have been sending resumes to every company in the US Virgin Islands that has software development jobs listed ever since I came to Florida in February of 2015. I have NEVER received a response, so it's not like nobody is trying. Many times the jobs are posted simply to satisfy DOL requirements.

Before we start asking about qualifications, I hold a Masters Degree in Software Engineering. I have worked on multiple enterprise sized projects, using ASP.NET MVC, C#, JQuery, JavaScript, AngularJS, SQL Server, Entity Framework, Object-Oriented methodologies, CSS3, HTML5, and a host of other technologies. The biotech company that I design software for just started marketing the world's first dengue vaccine. I had to endure a four-hour long interview that included whiteboard questions and also a hands-on coding exercise on a laptop. I was not the only candidate competing for the position, but I got the job. I still get at least two calls from recruiters almost every day.

None of this has helped me to even get a phone screen with any of the firms listing software development jobs in the VI, so again I congratulate you. I'll continue to take my chances on the mainland.

(tu)(tu)

They have those jobs up for months, sure...I'm happy that you were fortunate enough to land a web development-type job back home. I have been sending resumes to every company in the US Virgin Islands that has software development jobs listed ever since I came to Florida in February of 2015. I have NEVER received a response, so it's not like nobody is trying. Many times the jobs are posted simply to satisfy DOL requirements.

Before we start asking about qualifications, I hold a Masters Degree in Software Engineering. I have worked on multiple enterprise sized projects, using ASP.NET MVC, C#, JQuery, JavaScript, AngularJS, SQL Server, Entity Framework, Object-Oriented methodologies, CSS3, HTML5, and a host of other technologies. The biotech company that I design software for just started marketing the world's first dengue vaccine. I had to endure a four-hour long interview that included whiteboard questions and also a hands-on coding exercise on a laptop. I was not the only candidate competing for the position, but I got the job. I still get at least two calls from recruiters almost every day.

None of this has helped me to even get a phone screen with any of the firms listing software development jobs in the VI, so again I congratulate you. I'll continue to take my chances on the mainland.

Well that explains it then, you must be over-qualified for the VI jobs.:D

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

I got a kind of love/hate relationship with your posts on the forum but I just read and continue on my merry way.

I'm from here born and raised. Grew up as a "town man" and my moms lived in Castle Coakley so i'm now considered a "Castle man". I moved away to NYC after high school and I recently came back. I said I'm going to give it a year back. I could be making much more away. Honestly speaking, you guys gotta stop blaming people for the island being f'd up and look at your locals first. Yes people have companies and take advantage of the tax benefits that's why they're there. They do hire locals if you fit the bill. I recently just started working for an EDC so I'm not talking out my ass here. They have these jobs up for months and ... "some time" .... no one has the skills to fill em. I had to take a technical test(CSS/PHP/JS) before I even had my first interview and I'm pretty sure with that test they were some failures that DQ'd people from advancing.

Here's the plot twist I came here with the intensions to work in the government or the school system. My way of giving back because I know for a fact we are behind here as far as Web Technologies go. Guess who give me the cold shoulder? .... take a guess.....it wasn't the transplants.

Edit: When I say "here" I meant St.Croix and I edited my generalization up there.

They have those jobs up for months, sure...I'm happy that you were fortunate enough to land a web development-type job back home. I have been sending resumes to every company in the US Virgin Islands that has software development jobs listed ever since I came to Florida in February of 2015. I have NEVER received a response, so it's not like nobody is trying. Many times the jobs are posted simply to satisfy DOL requirements.

Before we start asking about qualifications, I hold a Masters Degree in Software Engineering. I have worked on multiple enterprise sized projects, using ASP.NET MVC, C#, JQuery, JavaScript, AngularJS, SQL Server, Entity Framework, Object-Oriented methodologies, CSS3, HTML5, and a host of other technologies. The biotech company that I design software for just started marketing the world's first dengue vaccine. I had to endure a four-hour long interview that included whiteboard questions and also a hands-on coding exercise on a laptop. I was not the only candidate competing for the position, but I got the job. I still get at least two calls from recruiters almost every day.

None of this has helped me to even get a phone screen with any of the firms listing software development jobs in the VI, so again I congratulate you. I'll continue to take my chances on the mainland.

I'm not here to argue with you. I made that edit that said "some time" people aren't qualified because i know someone was gonna take that and run with it. I don't know what was your circumstances. I happened to get in touch with 3 companies here(2 EDCs and one local) I hit the ground running like i was in NYC(linkedin, twitter, DOL, and company sites) I'm a Web Developer/Designer and you're a Software Engineer....same space but different jobs. I'm actually fresh out of college with a BA and an AS before that and self-teaching myself to a point where I was mostly always ahead of my college peers. I started college at 25 so I was focused. I had a job in NYC lined up for the moment I stepped out of college but my ticket was already bought and I took a chance. My road to a job, here in the Virgin Islands, wasn't easy and my interview process was a month long(phone, questionnaire, technical test, 1st interview, 2nd interview + live coding test. All I was trying to say is. I tried the local channels and they obviously didn't work. The moment I tried the private sector I got some traction so it isn't fair for you guys to generalize. Check my first post on this forum and you'd see my journey to a job. No BS, no fluff, just fact here.

EDIT: My first post ever on this forum made on June 6, 2015 and I came back to St.Croix on July 5.

Hi All,

I'm originally from St.Croix but I left after high school but I'm moving back in a month for a little bit. I'm interested in knowing if they are any tech and/or design agencies in St.Croix. If so, could anyone point me in the right direction?

My mother still lives in St.Croix but she isn't into technology. I've noticed that it's very hard to get information about the Virgin Islands online. I just finished up my BA in Emerging Media and have an AS in Multimedia and Design with concentration in Programming. I'm looking to align myself with a company looking for a well-rounded creative. I focus on Web Development but I have a thing for design.

Good bill. If a company is receiving an almost total concession on taxes, it should be required to tap into the educated local network and start hiring. There are Virgin Islanders in every profession who are dying to come home but are blocked by transplant-run companies. We might just be able to recruit JahRustyFerrari (tech wiz) back home!

Most VI students retain their VI resident status, so this policy could help turn the tide in our efforts to recruit them back home to change the island.

I got a kind of love/hate relationship with your posts on the forum but I just read and continue on my merry way.

I'm from here born and raised. Grew up as a "town man" and my moms lived in Castle Coakley so i'm now considered a "Castle man". I moved away to NYC after high school and I recently came back. I said I'm going to give it a year back. I could be making much more away. Honestly speaking, you guys gotta stop blaming people for the island being f'd up and look at your locals first. Yes people have companies and take advantage of the tax benefits that's why they're there. They do hire locals if you fit the bill. I recently just started working for an EDC so I'm not talking out my ass here. They have these jobs up for months and ... "some time" .... no one has the skills to fill em. I had to take a technical test(CSS/PHP/JS) before I even had my first interview and I'm pretty sure with that test they were some failures that DQ'd people from advancing.

Here's the plot twist I came here with the intensions to work in the government or the school system. My way of giving back because I know for a fact we are behind here as far as Web Technologies go. Guess who give me the cold shoulder? .... take a guess.....it wasn't the transplants.

Edit: When I say "here" I meant St.Croix and I edited my generalization up there.

They have those jobs up for months, sure...I'm happy that you were fortunate enough to land a web development-type job back home. I have been sending resumes to every company in the US Virgin Islands that has software development jobs listed ever since I came to Florida in February of 2015. I have NEVER received a response, so it's not like nobody is trying. Many times the jobs are posted simply to satisfy DOL requirements.

Before we start asking about qualifications, I hold a Masters Degree in Software Engineering. I have worked on multiple enterprise sized projects, using ASP.NET MVC, C#, JQuery, JavaScript, AngularJS, SQL Server, Entity Framework, Object-Oriented methodologies, CSS3, HTML5, and a host of other technologies. The biotech company that I design software for just started marketing the world's first dengue vaccine. I had to endure a four-hour long interview that included whiteboard questions and also a hands-on coding exercise on a laptop. I was not the only candidate competing for the position, but I got the job. I still get at least two calls from recruiters almost every day.

None of this has helped me to even get a phone screen with any of the firms listing software development jobs in the VI, so again I congratulate you. I'll continue to take my chances on the mainland.

I'm not here to argue with you. I made that edit that said "some time" people aren't qualified because i know someone was gonna take that and run with it. I don't know what was your circumstances. I happened to get in touch with 3 companies here(2 EDCs and one local) I hit the ground running like i was in NYC(linkedin, twitter, DOL, and company sites) I'm a Web Developer/Designer and you're a Software Engineer....same space but different jobs. I'm actually fresh out of college with a BA and an AS before that and self-teaching myself to a point where I was mostly always ahead of my college peers. I started college at 25 so I was focused. I had a job in NYC lined up for the moment I stepped out of college but my ticket was already bought and I took a chance. My road to a job, here in the Virgin Islands, wasn't easy and my interview process was a month long(phone, questionnaire, technical test, 1st interview, 2nd interview + live coding test. All I was trying to say is. I tried the local channels and they obviously didn't work. The moment I tried the private sector I got some traction so it isn't fair for you guys to generalize. Check my first post on this forum and you'd see my journey to a job. No BS, no fluff, just fact here.

EDIT: My first post ever on this forum made on June 6, 2015 and I came back to St.Croix on July 5.

Hi All,

I'm originally from St.Croix but I left after high school but I'm moving back in a month for a little bit. I'm interested in knowing if they are any tech and/or design agencies in St.Croix. If so, could anyone point me in the right direction?

My mother still lives in St.Croix but she isn't into technology. I've noticed that it's very hard to get information about the Virgin Islands online. I just finished up my BA in Emerging Media and have an AS in Multimedia and Design with concentration in Programming. I'm looking to align myself with a company looking for a well-rounded creative. I focus on Web Development but I have a thing for design.

...I do an awful lot of web development. The client these days is more than likely browser-based.

I don't understand what you're trying to say there. Browser based could mean many things. There's client-side/server-side on a high level and several categories that fall underneath those two.