Browsing: Diaspora & Migration

Jamaica in 2026 presents a study in profound contradiction. Tourism revenues are approaching historic highs as the island cements its position as the Caribbean’s most recognised brand. The murder rate, while showing a declining trend from the peaks of the late 2010s and early 2020s, remains among the highest in the world. The reparations debate has moved from the margins of diplomatic conversation to its centre. And Jamaica’s relationship with the United States, the United Kingdom, and China is being renegotiated in real time.

Jamaica in 2026 presents a study in contradiction: record tourism revenues alongside one of the world’s highest murder rates; fiscal stability alongside persistent social inequality; growing international profile alongside the unresolved reparations debate.

Since January 1982, the Jamaica Windrush & Diaspora Update has published ninety quarterly editions chronicling the life of the Caribbean community in Britain and its ties to Jamaica. Covering forty-four years of history — from the Toxteth riots and the Scarman Report to the Windrush scandal and its aftermath, from Thatcher’s first term to the present — the series constitutes the most sustained quarterly record of Black British life ever assembled. This commemorative edition brings the complete archive together.

Jamaica’s Minister of Culture plans to present a formal reparations petition to King Charles III in September 2026. Our quarterly diaspora update covers the Windrush compensation scheme’s latest milestones, CARICOM’s united reparatory front, the stalled republican transition bill and the House of Commons Windrush Day debate.

As the Quarterly Jamaica Diaspora & Returnee Update series marks its twentieth anniversary, this special retrospective edition surveys two decades of the forces that have shaped Jamaica’s global communities: from the inaugural 1st Biennial in 2004 through nine conference cycles; from remittances of US$1.6 billion in 2005 to over US$3.5 billion today; through the global financial crisis, Haiti earthquake, Usain Bolt’s athletic dynasty, Brexit and the Windrush scandal, COVID-19, and Jamaica’s own political transitions across five prime ministers. This is the story of twenty years of a diaspora that grew stronger, sent more money home, and fought harder for recognition — quarter by quarter.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for April–June 2026 — covering remittances, the 11th Biennial Diaspora Conference, the controversial US third-country deportee deal, Hurricane Melissa recovery, returnee housing, seasonal labour, and major achievements by Jamaicans overseas.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for January–March 2026, covering Hurricane Melissa’s continuing economic fallout, the US immigrant visa suspension affecting Jamaica, record full-year 2025 remittances, Global Diaspora Council elections, IMF emergency support, and the human cost of accelerating US deportations.

The UK’s inaugural Windrush Commissioner, Reverend Clive Foster, launched his office in July 2025 and began a national listening tour. A JUSTICE report exposed a £72,000 compensation gap between represented and unrepresented claimants. Jamaica’s long-promised republican transition slipped past another electoral deadline.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for October–December 2025 — dominated by Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic landfall, the unprecedented US$6.7 billion international recovery package, a December diaspora remittance surge to US$315 million, the global diaspora relief mobilisation, and the accelerating pressures of Trump-era US immigration enforcement on Jamaicans overseas.

The Jamaica Diaspora Annual Roundup for 2025: Trump’s second-term immigration enforcement policies create anxiety and legal challenges for Caribbean-American community members; the UK Labour government’s first full year tests diaspora community expectations; Jamaica celebrates 63 years of independence with a buoyant economy; AI reshapes professional employment across diaspora communities; and remittances to Jamaica approach US$3.5 billion.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for July–September 2025: strong 4.6 per cent GDP growth, remittances topping US$1 billion mid-year, the Orville Etoria diplomatic crisis as the US deported a Jamaican national to Eswatini, ongoing Trump-era immigration enforcement, rising voluntary returnee numbers, and PM Holness’s call for Jamaicans abroad to come home.

A landmark JUSTICE charity report reveals that unrepresented Windrush claimants receive on average £11,400 in compensation compared with £83,200 for those with legal support. The UK appoints its first Windrush Commissioner in June 2025, and Jamaica begins Holness’s historic third term without a clear path to republican transition.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for April–June 2025: modest 1.4 per cent GDP growth, a debt-to-GDP ratio revised down to 62.4 per cent, remittance inflows of US$830.6 million for the quarter, PM Holness’s call for diaspora Jamaicans to return home amid Trump-era enforcement, early discussions on a third-country deportee arrangement, and the 10th Biennial Diaspora Conference report.

The definitive quarterly intelligence report on Jamaica’s global diaspora for January–March 2025: Trump’s inauguration and immediate immigration crackdown prompts Jamaica government dialogue, 2024 remittances confirmed down 0.4 per cent for a third consecutive year, economy grew modestly at 0.8 per cent, a contentious PICA deportation identity case, and rising pressure on diaspora families across the United States.

Labour’s July 2024 UK election victory brings fresh Windrush pledges; Jamaica’s JLP wins an unprecedented third consecutive term in September 2024; and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia produces historic language on slavery as a crime against humanity. Our quarterly diaspora and Windrush update.