Reside and Work information please
 

Hello everyone..

I am asking this for a friend and I'm sure there is something already written on this forum, but still going to ask.

A friend (non-bajan/non caricom) , married to a Bajan, has applied for Permanent Residency status, not citizenship. Not sure how long ago she applied, but since her arrival in Barbados has been going to Immigration to have her visa extended every 3 to 6 months based on how long they give her to stay each time. She has NOT applied for a reside and work and actually had never heard of it, from anyone , until we spoke today (not advised by anyone at immigration etc..)

She hasn't really heard anything about her Residence Status, until recently when she was asked to come in to do finger prints (which she also told me isn't required under the list of items on the residency form, but is for Citizenship)..

Long story short. Should she go in at this point to apply for the Reside and Work before she goes nuts and starts looking for a job before her residency comes through??

And that's another thing .. anyone gotten residency recently?? as I had understood residency was king of shoved to the side at one point and wasn't being worked on..

any info is greatly appreciated. She doesn't want to stir the apple cart with her PR application.. but is thinking she may want/need to look for employment soon.. (even if it's just to work with her husband with his company)..

thanks..

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I applied for Citizenship when I married a Bajan woman in Aug 2011. Put the paperwork in very soon after.

I found out that I had been granted Reside and Work when I was told by am immigration officer at the airport on my return from a trip to Trinidad. When I contacted the office downtown they were a bit put out that I knew about it..lol. Anyway I went to the office where I paid $1000 (I think thats the right figure) and they gave me a letter.. and told me that if I wanted a stamp in my passport, which is obviously easier than carrying a letter, then it would take three weeks. So I did.. have been coming and going since then..

The Reside and Work was valid for three years and runs out in Feb next year so I will have to extend that.. I assume it is the same procedure as extending a normal visa... but not sure.

I know it's not a lot of info but it might prompt others to add bits to it...

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

Was it a separate form to your Citizenship form, or part and parcel of that??

and so I'm guessing that since 2011 (which is coming up on 3 years soon enough) you still don't have Citizenship??? but you do still have the reside and work.. until it expires..

thanks for the info.. it starts the process of unraveling this mystery.. (lucky for me, I didn't have to go through any of this.. but that was decades ago.. soo..)

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

LOL... no Citizenship still not processed...

I didn't make any application for R&W.. as I understand things, it is simply issued after approximately 6 months while the application is being processed...

I am assuming that as nothing further has been happening I will simply apply for an extension of the R&W... but who knows...

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

ok cool.. so. other than being told upon entry back to Barbados, did you get, or should you have gotten, some sort of letter from Immigration?? or were they "not happy" cause they really didn't want you to know???

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I think they were not happy simply because I knew.. and as we all know for some officials.. knowledge is power..

I believe at some point I was supposed to get a letter and the officer at the airport may have jumped the gun in telling me...

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

ah.. ok.. interesting.. well apparently she applied for residency in Sept 2012.. she says at the interview, not sure when that was, she was told she could work.. but no stamp or letter etc.. however.. she is a little uncertain of what to do at this point. I suggested that she maybe contact someone at immigration and ask again (or find the person who told her and get it in writing).

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

Hi Sunnie...nice feeling to be able to help you for a change lol

My best friend applied for Residency and got it within a year..the work and reside is your right as far as im aware if you are married to a Bajan..So its not something you have to apply for persay rather just need to go through the paperwork to get the necessary permit

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I actually don't agree with that "right" Dipity.. when I married my bajan husband 22 years ago this September.. I had to apply for and be granted either Citizenship or Residency to be able to work. .when my citizenship came through at the end of November that same year (yes folks, less than 2 months) then I was able to get a Transfer with American Airline, who I was working for in the US and begin working for them in Barbados.. They (AA) advised I had to have either one of those to be considered legally working in Barbados before I could get my transfer. and to my knowledge, you still have to have one or the other to work here, regardless of if you are married to a bajan or not.

correct me if that's wrong, but aren't there people who have come to Barbados, Married Bajans, but have had to go through the process of apply for residency or citizenship to be able to work??? if not then she should be fine.. I guess as long as she has her paper work in process, it doesn't matter if she has a document that says so or not..

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I came here without a job on the island and with the intention of working overseas and travelling back and forth.

Of course you can do that but it means extending tourist visas which is costly and you can get caught out when the immigration ask why you are coming back so often.

When we married we were advised that I should apply for Citizenship. We were told that the process would take at least 4 years but that R&W would be granted as an interim measure to allow me to function here while the process slowly grinds it's way through. There was no additional paperwork it, seemingly, just happens.....

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

Hi Sunnie not sure if you misread my comment or it was ambiguous but what i was saying is that a work and reside is a right in that once you apply for it based on the fact that you are married to a bajan that it is granted until residency or citizenship is decided...I wasnt saying you have a right to reside and work without an application thats why i said once you get the right permissions

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

Hi Sunnie not sure if you misread my comment or it was ambiguous but what i was saying is that a work and reside is a right in that once you apply for it based on the fact that you are married to a bajan that it is granted until residency or citizenship is decided...I wasnt saying you have a right to reside and work without an application thats why i mentioned the paperwork to get the permit...you have to be on record requesting a citizenship or residency in order to get a work and reside permit ..my comment on a right was that to my knowledge they dont refuse the right to work and reside if you are married to a bajan once you apply for that right

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I think I do understand what you are saying.. but as said.. in my case.. the company I wanted to work for, wouldn't take me on before my citizenship papers came through.. I had to wait 3 months for that.. and I'm pretty sure, until recently, that has been the case with other companies as well.. until the person actually has that citizenship or residency certificate in hand, work was out of the question. I had never heard of a reside and work until the last few years on this group. but even on this group, there were people who came, married bajans, and couldn't actually work until their residency or citizenship papers came through.. unless I am completely mistaken..

When you apply to work in Barbados, you have to give an NIS number and your national ID number, which you can't get without a citizenship or residency ID.. so I'm guessing that piece of paper, Reside and Work, is the governments permission.. but saying it verbally doesn't help the applicant.

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

Sunni,

Maybe my earlier replies weren't really clear.

The Govt doesn't just say you have R&W.. you get a piece of paper...eventually. You can also get the stamp in your passport ..if you can leave your passport with immigration for three weeks... you would imagine it is some sort of caligraphy...but it is just a stamp....3 weeks... my life..

Ian

Re: Reside and Work information please
 

I get that Ian.. but what I'm saying is.. a verbal ok, you can work cause you are married to a Bajan and you paper work is in process.. is one thing.. having a piece of paper or a stamp in your passport is something entirely different. In my case.. I had to actually wait for the real and true citizenship to come through.. that was 21 years ago.. and the document was in my possession. before I could get the transfer with the company to come to Barbados..

the person I'm asking for has had her info submitted since Sept 2012. and has nothing.. no paper, no stamp.. only a verbal "you can work" .. and has never been told about a reside and work document.