The first flight carrying third country nationals under Jamaica’s transit agreement with the United States is expected to arrive shortly, the Government has said.

What the Government announced

In an update issued through the Ministries of National Security and Peace and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and reported by the Jamaica Inquirer on October 13, 2026, the Government said operating procedures for the arrangement have been finalised. No arrival date was given, and the nationalities of the people involved were not disclosed. The International Organization for Migration, known as the IOM, has been formally engaged to provide support services while individuals are in Jamaica and to help facilitate their onward movement.

A transit arrangement, with limits

The Government describes the programme as a transit arrangement only, intended to help people return to their countries of origin or travel on to other receiving countries. It says the programme will not be funded by the Government of Jamaica, that no person with criminal antecedents will be permitted to transit under it, and that numbers are capped at a maximum of 25 people per fortnight. The memorandum of understanding also provides for suspension of the arrangement if 10 people apply to remain in Jamaica through asylum or other humanitarian processes.

Why Jamaicans are watching this

The agreement touches on migration, sovereignty, and Jamaica’s relationship with the United States, all live questions for families split between the island and the diaspora.

Source: Jamaica Inquirer