Serendipidy

The un named Immigration Officer who provided such personal confidential and private information on British Citizens to journalists should be informed by a lawyer of the below BARBADOS LEGAL act - yes we might be foreigners/visitors but there are laws to protect blatant misuse of your position!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extracts from DATA PROTECTION ACT BARBADOS 2005 that clearly state it is a contravention when relates to the processing of personal data for
(i) the purposes of journalism


PART II
DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES3) Any person who fails to comply with the data protection principles is
guilty of an offence and is liable on indictment to a fine of $100 000 or to a
term of imprisonment of 3 years or to both.


PART IV
RIGHTS OF DATA SUBJECTS AND OTHERS22. (1) An individual who suffers damage by reason of any
contravention by a data controller of any of the requirements of this Act is entitled to
compensation from the data controller for that
damage.
(2) An individual who suffers distress by reason of any
contravention by a data controller of any of the requirements of this Act is entitled to
compensation from the data controller for that
distress where
(a) the individual also suffers damage by reason of the
contravention; or
(b) the contravention relates to the processing of personal data for
(i) the purposes of journalism;

nilocp

I wasnt sure if there was a Data Protection Act in Barbados, but if there is then this is a blatant abuse of it!!!

CP

Sunniebgi

to the person on Twitter who is messaging me about this top and persons on this board.. Clearly you are a Bajan who want's the borders closed..

I'm not suggesting that the borders be open for all and sundry to enter and life isn't always and never will be fair for all human beings.. but the immigration officers in Barbados cannot make up their own laws based on the person sitting in front of them. I've said it before.. the same thing happens to Barbadians as well. there is information on the books but when you ask one person they say one thing and when you ask someone else they say something entirely different.

it will be the downfall of this country if people from other countries are not allowed to come, reside, work and contribute monetarily to this country and not just as tourists

berkscannuck

I have just returned from immigration, having gone to ask for a residency extension.
I presently have a date for early October as the expiry of my 3 month stay that had been issued on arrival in Barbados. I was unable to apply today for an extension as there was too much time left in my passport. I would need to return within 2 weeks of the expiry date.
I will be travelling mid October, and asked if my passport would be returned by then.
I have been lead to believe I can extend for the length of my husband's work permit, which runs well into 2013, my passport would need to go up as high as the commissioner for immigration, taking more than the 3 weeks normally suggested.
The advice I was then given, by two separate officers, was to allow my passport stamp to expire, travel as planned, and then apply on my return for extended stay.
I am uncomfortable with this- I did ask if there was any chance of deportation issues, and both officers said I would be fine.
Has anyone come across/done this?

Destiny4

Hi everyone. I've joined today as my husband and I want to move permanently to Barbados. Reading through all these posts bout the problems faced by people wanting to stay in Barbados, I wonder whether there are any specialist immigration lawyers in Barbados? Call me naive but there must surely be laws and procedures in place? It so happens that in the uk I happen to be an immigration lawyer. All the problems I read about on here, I deal with every day, but from people wanting to stay in uk. Is there any professional advice to be had? As I'm wanting to move there, the experiences people share on here are invaluable. I'm married to a man who is Barbadian by Descent. I assume I can live with him? How do I go about it? Any advice gratefully received.

berkscannuck

As a follow on from this post, I allowed my stamp to expire and left the island for an 8 day trip. Upon re-entry at the airport, I was interrogated by a senior officer, who pointed out that I had been on the island illegally, and thus he had every right to refuse me entry back into the island. Despite advising him of all the conversations and advice given in Bridgetown, he was adamant that I should be refused entry. It took 10 minutes of persuasion to be allowed through to join my family.
He insisted that I return to immigration Bridgetown to extend my passport stamp the next day.
This I did, and guess what, immigration Bridgetown were unreceptive and insistent that I could not renew until my 30 day stamp was within 10 days of expiring....and to come back later!
Thank fully I now have a visa extended to co-inside with my husband's work permit, but it has been a soul destroying path to getting it, and does make you view some aspects of the island differently.

Serendipidy

Sigh .. nothing changes.. should just not be this complex and frustrating... rules should be easy to recognise and applied with consistency its not rocket science..

janaksodha

If you own a property in Barbados - I thought a 6 months visa was standard? Has this changed?

cartoon

There doesn't seem to be any fixed rule. Or if there is, they make them up as they go along. I've had my passport stamped for anything from 30 days to 90 days at the airport.
Immigration have given me visas for 12 months and 6 months.
I was given a form which said I could apply for a 3 year visitors stamp but I only managed to get a year.
I've only once been taken to be questioned but that was when I had a letter saying I could stay for 12 months but she didn't like the letter even though it was on immigration department paper and signed by the chief immigration officer.
I've been here 4 years now.

janaksodha

Thank you for your response. Perhaps its best to apply for immigrant status.

nilocp

In some ways it is a shame that the messages from Barbados Skipper had to be deleted.

I saw them all and was absolutely gob smacked at the attitude of a local.

Shame others did not see this bigoted attitude that one does come across, but usually not so often, and not so publically.

Serendipidy

Bigots are everywhere in the world and inarticulate troublemaking trolling ones are just not welcome on this forum .. I dont think he actually represented anything "local" in barbados because most bajans I know may have strong opinions on their islands but they can express themselves in an articulate and non racist way, not stoop to calling people damn foreigners etc...so see no shame in not allowing such idiocy to get air time!