Foxy_fromCanada

Wow, way to go! I missed out and ended up paying the $100

Serendipidy

Well there is a further issue to this for some people - if their visas expired months ago and passports are being given back with no stamps will it look like they have overstayed when they next come through immigration??

Dipidy

Foxy_fromCanada

I wondered the same thing when they had mine and I asked for it back unstamped. It came back stamped, so it wasn't a problem, but someone told me that while Immigration has your passport, you are in the clear. You'd have the receipt for the extension application, and their log would indicate when you got it back, in case you ever had to prove that they had it.

Not sure if this is entirely accurate, though.

Lindi2

Hello everyone,

My husband and I are still undecided whether to make the move to Barbados next year, we will have to make that decision before March when we will have to decide on a school for our daughter, either here in the UK or Barbados.

My daughter and I have both submitted paperwork for citizenship through London High Commission last May. My husband (her father) is a Bajan citizen.

One option is for my daughter and I to move to Barbados next September for her to start school there, and my husband would follow maybe 12 months later when he is due to retire from his job here in the UK. If my citizenship didn't come through by September, reading your messages, I would need to get my passport stamped every few months inorder to stay in the country.

My questions are

1. Could I get my passport stamped if I went to Immigration alone, or would my husband need to be with me each time?

2. Do you think the fact that we submitted the paperwork & interviewed in the UK that our application will go through quicker? I know Barbados have received them as my father in law had to pop in to see them in November. He was told we would hear in due course.

The last thing we would want is for me to be sent home, leaving my daughter with my elderly In Laws

I wish you all a happy 2009.

L

Foxy_fromCanada

Hi Lindi,

To answer your first question, you don't need your husband with you to get a visitor's extension stamp at Immigration.

But, it's possible that you'd get a longer extension if your husband went in with you - Immigration would see that you're a family and have means of supporting yourself etc.

The rest of the gang will chime in about the rest of your question

Foxy

Serendipidy

Someone else will need to chip in on this one but i dont think its straight forward you putting your child in school without your papers in place - you may need permission and visas etc and not sure if you would have to pay for schooling whilst waiting for citizenship - might be best to have a look through the schools posts as im sure i saw something there about it or start up a new thread asking about schooling whilst on temporary visas

Good Luck

Happy Old Years to all da bajan "homies" lol

Dipidy

Lindi2

Hi Guys, thanks for your swift replies.

I think for state schools you do need visas to go to school but as I understand it not for the private sector like Codrington & St Ursula. As long as we can prove that my daughter's father is a Bajan Citizen, then that's all that's required.

If anyone knows different, please let me know

L

zanne

I can help with these points:

**My son's private school collected the visa's/id no's. of every child in the school at the start of the term for submission to the Ministry of Education-- this I presume was an attempt at weeding out families that were out of status. So I would be certain that all visa's are in place.

**I was told at immigration that once you are married to a Barbadian, as a woman, it is presumed that you are being supported by your husband. Hehehehe. The concept of two breadwinners or a woman being the primary breadwinner is non-existent at Immigration. Ironically, most of the staff there appears to be women! Through the entire process I was never asked about my funds though.

**I got accustomed to walking around with copiesof all sorts of documents, marriage certificates, my husband's birth and baptism certificates, and copies of the citizenship application and receipts. I once applied for an extension and the clerk claimed that I didn't have a citizenship application on file. Luckily I had the copy with me.

Hope this helps.

Lindi2

Thanks for that Zanne, I will need to speak to the schools again.

If we decide to follow this route it will be the first time in 29 years that I would not been in full-time employment, and do you know what? I can't wait

I take it you were on your own on the island for a while Zanne?

L

zanne

No actually my husband came 1st, about a year and a 1/2 ahead of us. I had my business in the US and it took a long time to wind down, also I came when I thought that I was in striking distance of having my citizenship granted. I came last September and it was issued this past May ('08). I flew back and forth from the US twice a month, but after my son turned 2 (and I had to pay for him) we just decided that it was getting to difficult to go back and forth so much. I was exhausted!

Sunniebgi

Lindt, all schools in Barbados require a student visa for any child that is not a citizen, even St. Uruslas and Codrington. We had a form sent home that had to be filled in re Barbados ID number or Student Visa number from St. Ursulas. St. Gabriel's (primary) also makes sure that all students have their Student Visa's before school starts..

Lindi2

Thanks Sunnie.

Thinking about it, when we visited 2 schools last Christmas, we were under the impression that my daughter would have her citizenship by then, and that's why they said that a visa wasn't necessary for her.

The gentleman who interviewed us in the Barbados High Commission in London in May, did say that it would take approximately 12 months for citizenship to be granted and possibly even less for my daughter. Reading some people's experiences on this site, I don't think this is going to happen now, especially with the new govt.

How do you go about getting a student visa? Can it be done via the UK?

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my threads this year, you've all been great!!

bimchick

hi Everyone!

Got to Canada safe and sound yesterday.

I would like to say that NO ONE checked my passport as i left barbados. Therefore, I recommend you save your $50 and not bother with getting extensions. Why wait in lines and ask for extensions and deal with those women at immigration if there's no need for the stamp!!

shines

It is useful to get your stamps if you intend to apply for permanent residence and need to prove your 5 yrs in Barbados, but if you are not doing that then I would not bother either...

Serendipidy

surely you need your stamps in your passport to prove you did not overstay on your last trip and then immigration can deny you access at the airport?

Dipidy?