Jamaican Consulate General in New York Being Relocated

The Consulate General of Jamaica in New York is moving to a new location, as it seeks to enhance its capabilities and offerings to better serve the community.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, made the disclosure during Wednesday’s (March 6) Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives meeting at Gordon House.

She said the Consular Office will now be better located, as it will be situated beside Grand Central Station, “so all our publics will be able to come”.

“Plus, we’ll be closer to the UN (United Nations). So, it is really sort of a ‘sweet spot’ move and we are very proud of the steps that have been taken to get us there, because it has been a lot of work,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

The Minister, who expressed pride in the work of the Consulate and Jamaica’s Mission to the UN, noted that “we have been in the same space for about 32 years”.

She pointed out, however, that “when I became Minister, we had already been looking for space to move”.

“Thankfully, through the very skilful management of our Consul General, Alsion Wilson, and some fortuitous circumstances in the New York property market, we were able to negotiate new arrangements,” Senator Johnson Smith added.

She noted that the increased space will facilitate the presence of a “mini” Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

“Because what happens [is], even with online [platforms], most of our people like to come in. Some people mail in, yes, and, in fact, we receive almost as many mail-in applications for visas and passports, et cetera, as we do [from] walk-in visitors. Volumes have become significantly higher over the last four to five years,” Senator Johnson Smith said.

“What we are seeking to do is provide better service, acknowledging that times have changed, volumes have changed, the number of people who seek services from us has changed, and we need to be able to have better arrangements to meet their needs. So, with this move, we will be able to do that, [and] not only host them more comfortably but be able to provide better service,” she added.