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Tonight, that program is winding down and as part of a last-ditch effort to get as many eligible immigrants to apply, 7News went down south on Saturday for a look at the IOM's latest hub - an easy, streamlined process for becoming a Belizean.

With less than a month left in Belize's Amnesty program immigrants who aspire to citizenship are in a time crunch to get their papers, and indeed their lives, in order to take advantage of the opportunity. And a response to that urgency is what we saw in Stann Creek West this weekend.

And by 10:00 AM residents of the area seeking to become citizens of Belize were lining up to get in on this once-in-a-generation opportunity.

Diana Locke, Head Of Office, IOM
"We're here to look for those persons that we saw before and basically did not get to submit an application and we are trying to reach out to them so that they can come back in and complete that process and submit an application and of course, if there is anybody new that is willing to come in and start the process again we are also helping those people."

And the first step of that help is a simple medical checkup but it's important to note that perfect health isn't a pre-requisite. Belize's health system simply has to screen potential citizens in order to better manage their illnesses once they are on the NHI.

Douglas Robinson. Manager, Dangriga Medical Lab
"The process is that you go, you take your application form, you get your form filled out properly, you come to do your medical, you do your blood work, after that half an hour time you come for your results and then."

But we wanted to learn more about the stories of these soon to newly minted Belizeans, people like Jose Mellido Nunez, whose detour ended up lasting the rest of his life.

Jose Mellido Nunez, Immigrant
"A friend of mine asked me, you think we should head for the US he told me, and I said If you're brave enough let's go. That's how I came, we got here and stayed in Belize. We were headed directly to the states but when we saw the banana fields we stayed there. We said mein this is where we're going to stay and make life no matter what it takes. My friend returned to Honduras and a few days later they told me that they had killed him in La Lima, the gangsters they had stabbed him fourteen times and I said this guy alone went back to be killed."

And while not everyone's story is that dramatic, life often finds a way to re-arrange personal priorities. Norman Janez is a family man whose children are all Belizeans. He's also a truck driver by trade and while he comes to Belize City often he usually comes at night. That's why he hasn't quite gotten around to regularizing his papers, that is until now.

Norman Janez, Immigrant
"Well, the thing is that we have been in this and I've had sets backs and haven't been able to achieve getting everything in order. Thank God the government has seen it fit to look at our cases and so we're all here waiting to get the papers that are being processed."

And for others a move to Belize meant new beginnings, or a new life….:

Josefina Totpao, Immigrant
"She is a Belizean, she was born in Dangriga, she's three months old, her name is Susan."

And with this Amnesty exercise almost behind them, many of these people have reached a finish line, now they hope that their fellow immigrants can be bold enough to do the same.

Marcos Aguilar Orellana, Immigrant
"I would tell them with all good intentions that the process of residency is good and we are grateful to the people who are helping us all the foreigners to get our documents and that they shouldn't be afraid and just focus on the papers and documents and that we will all get through this."

And if you ask Danny Carcamo he says they shouldn't wait. On Saturday he told me that Belize is the only country he's ever known, being undocumented all his life was always a source of stress.

Danny Carcamo, Immigrant raised Belizean
"Until now I had worked with Banana farms, I used to work on a lot of Cayes, Placencia and all around but I was always scared about my papers or because I didn't have social security until now, I already feel more comfortable."

"Sometimes I feel bad because when people talk about oh you guys are aliens, you don't have papers or I can't pay my social when it comes to social benefits, and if I get sick I can't go to the doctor without a social, until now I've tried to fix all those problems so that I can stay comfortable here in Belize."

Also staying is Danny's mom Josefina. She told our cameras that her road to Belize and a better life was hard won.

Maria Luisa Carcamo, Immigrant
"It was very hard my situation, to begin this happened in Honduras when I was only 22."

Cherisse:
"How?"

Maria Luisa Carcamo, Immigrant
"It was an assault a robbery I has lots of gold on and that's how it happen that a thief appeared and chopped off my hand. I almost died. For them too changing countries was a better life for my sons as well because they got to study they went to school and learned English and we've been able to survive here."

As we told you the Amnesty program was extended in December when not enough people had applied in the original time period.

The last day for submission of documents in the Amnesty program will be February 28th, 2023.