The World is Not Ours....

Hello! I understand that getting a work permit in Barbados is near to impossible now. Can I go there, get a 28 stay, then go to immigration to extend to 6mo, then after the 6mo's, get another 6mo extension? Do I have to leave there in between and come back here? And if so, how long?I do run an internet self employed business and will not be a burden on the island. I can show that I can have the income to live there. I also have a work permit application, but it looks like it's only intended for someone going to work there...not self employed. I would like to live there indefinitely, but from what I hear, immigrations there now makes it impossible to allow someone like me that is self supportive and can bring money to the island, not very likely....is this correct? Thank you, Randy

Serendipidy

It does make every sense what you propose as you would be bringing income to the island and spending it there without taking anything. However im not sure if any immigration anywhere allows for that option - i dont think uk even does.

The short answer is i have not heard of anyone getting a visitor visa running past 6 months - same as here in UK. I know friends in your situation and they have to leave even before 6 months - would be good to hear if anyone has put this proposal to Bajan Gov/immigration ie right to reside and work remotely.

The World is Not Ours....

Thanks for your timely response Serendipidy! I wonder if it would make any difference in getting a business license there to then show that the govt. can also make money from me by these fees as here in the U.S.? When your friends had to leave there before 6mo., what prompted them to leave earlier? I had come to believe that a person could get 28 days from the airport upon arrival, then a 6month extension, making a total of almost 7 months. I have also heard, but have not validated, that a person may be able to extend another 6months, but has to leave in order to get another approval. Funny, how I was born in Guam, went to 13 different schools, and moved every three years....and I do not know how immigration dept's work!

Serendipidy

Things have definitley changed since the last goverment took post - my friends did not choose to leave but were questioned about why they would stay that long and were asked to leave for a year.

Not sure I have heard of a business licence - I have a business there which I paid taxes on and had a 3 year work permit but thats a costly approach as many dont realise that in the end that cost $11,000 BDS

Ill let others input into this discussion because things are always changing in Barbados and not exactly sure of the current situation re visitors visas

The World is Not Ours....

I am finding now that I have to incorporate my own business name there, basically like buying a business permit. Then I would have to basically hire myself. If I do apply and pay the many associated fees, attorneys, etc., they can refuse it and I lose the money. This may be typical of all govt's throughout the world, not sure. I figure it is THEIR island and how they do what they do, is something I have to respect and see if I can find a way to show I am not going to be a burden on the state. I do recommend to anyone else that reads these posts to contact an immigrations attorney there in BIM as I have. I know that a lot of people go about taking for granted that they may be doing right from what they heard, only to find out otherwise, and eventually pay the price of immediate deportation. It seems that if someone does everything, and I mean EVERYTHING by the book and respects the laws and knows that the govt there (right or wrong), expects everyone coming to their island, play by their rules...right or wrong. I must say though that it is very sad the stories you do hear of "immigration nightmares", as that can totally turn someone's life upside down and create animosity toward the country in which it happened. I know from my own experience from being born in Guam and traveling every three years to foreign countries, etc. We always expected something throwing a curve ball at us. I am preparing for one long journey in getting a permit and will see how it all comes down. Preparing for the worst though

si_m

Hello all,

Just wanted to ask a brief question - in a few places I have seen it written that you need to be able to prove you are self-sufficient financially to the immigration people.

Does this mean that you need to show a bank statement?! I won't have an income so will instead be living off savings, but am not keen to discuss my financial affairs in the middle of an airport!

In terms of extending your visitor's visa, a few estate agents that I spoke to when I was last out there said that many people just leave the island for a brief trip to St. Lucia twice a year and that was enough to 'reset the timer'... Not sure if that was necessarily abiding by the spirit of the law though...?

Simon

Ikon

Hi Simon,

I'm not sure if someone answered this elsewhere already but the point some of us have made in the past about proving self-sufficiency is generally for more longer-term visas than the kind you'd obtain at the airport. It takes several months to apply for a residency visa on the basis of the ability to support yourself with income/savings from abroad, and once granted the length of time it allows you to stay will vary (in my case, three years). You can't really just turn up on the island and make an application for this, you'd need to start planning early and use a lawyer. It seems even more complex than work permit applications, perhaps because they're rarer.

One note of caution - the rules on residency based on self-sufficiency have NOT changed yet, and the Green Paper last year didn't propose to make any changes to them, but I've heard a couple of reports of Immigration turning these applications down. These could be genuine examples where the Immigration Officers felt the applicants couldn't support themselves, or it could be that they just don't understand the rules. Different officers give conflicting answers all the time, so it's vital to keep pushing until you get the right answer with this kind of visa.