Sunniebgi

I can't remember were I saw it posted, but someone made a statement that you could work while your work permit was being processed.

I was recently made aware of a situation involving someone with a work permit. They had one for one employer, but changed jobs. They were told that, i'm guessing, the new employer could apply for a work permit, but the individual could not work while this was in process. The work permit application process and approval had to be completed before the individual could return to work. This was from the Chief Immigration Officer.

So be careful out there.. What you are told and what is true, could possibly be two different things. Or if you are told something, like you can work while the permit is in process, get it in writing and make sure it's official.

Belinda1974

Sunniebgi - you are SO right! I too would like to warn all the "newbies" to Barbados! Even if you have "friends" in immigration who tell you, everything is OK, you better inform yourself of the LAWS and don't believe what anybody tells you, unless it is the Chief Immigration Officer himself.
I was told I can stay on the island while my application is processed, so I did. I was told (by somebody within the immigration department!) that I can send my daughter to school (private), so I did. I was told that I can ship over my container from Europe, so I did.
What happened, all that was used against me at the end, I was just naive to believe that person and think I was safe.

Facts are:

- You are NOT allowed to be on the island while your application is being processed!

- You are NOT allowed to put your children in school, even they grant you a student visa (happened to me and then they said it "was a mistake" - yeh right, but not mine!)! Not public and not private school!

- Don't EVER think about to work while the work permit is being processed, even they (whoever) tell you, that you will get it FOR SURE! Until it is granted, it is NOT granted, and 1) that can take a long time; 2) while the application is in, there can happen SO many things, believe me!

So just don't make the same mistakes than I made, only because I believed and trusted a person who should really know better!!!

If you are in the situation applying for a work permit (or better to say, your employer), do it with an attorney!
And better stay where you came from until it is GRANTED!
Otherwise you can get in real trouble and your Bajan Dream can end sooner than you ever thought............

Foxy_fromCanada

Are you sure about this one? Not even as a visitor?

Jacksog

Funnily enough I am exactly the same situation in that I am shortly moving to the Barbados office of the company I work for, and have queried whether I can work there before receiving a work permit. I have been told that it is the practise that has been employed before for others in the same situation, Confused!

Serendipidy

Immigrations attitude is that you should not be on the island in theory whilst awaiting your permit however if you already have a 3 month stay say fromthe airport then i doubt they would trouble it.

I sincerely believe the key to the work permit situation if its not through your employer is a lawyer - this shows immigration a duty of care has been taken.

Beware someone i know applied and continued working and was deported for a year with a weeks notice!

Also not many people realise if you apply for a work permit and they deny it and you are on the island when it is refused you will be sent home with a few days notice and not allowed to return for "x " period - normal is 3 months but like i say its their discretion.

The island is tiny and there is a huge population of graduates who cannot find work in their field so Barbados is looking out for their own which makes total sense - if only our own government had been a little more forward thinking! Barbadians are smart they learn from our mistakes !!

Serendipidy

Belinda1974

Yes I am sure about that, you can even find this stated in their government pages regarding work permit. What they want to avoid with that, is, that these people are already working while still waiting for the work permit. This seems to happen quite often, so I think, that is the reason.
And then, imagine, you got your tourist visa for 3 or 6 months, and the application is still processed when expiration is near. Then you need to apply for a visa extension, and be careful, because that was exactly what happened to me (and 2 other friends by the way!). The they let you think you can get the passport after one week (meanwhile it seems to take 4 weeks!) WITH your extension granted. They will not notify you before, if the extension was denied or granted, they will then call you to get your passport, and then they keep you right there and send you home with the next flight! No story, happened to me, and let me tell you, I don't want my enemies to experience what I did.

Like someone else just posted, if you come on a tourist visa and your application is in, and if you are lucky, nobody will bother you. But honestly said, the Bajan Immigration is very unpredictable, if they want, they find a gap and will send you home immediately, and then you might not be allowed to come back for a year or more.
I would really really advise everybody in that same situation, NOT to remain on the island while the application is in, unless you have something in written form from the chief immigration officer. Trust me, otherwise you risk everything you were waiting for! It happened to me, though everybody told me it is fine, nothing can go wrong, etc. And I heard this from a (reliable - so I though) source within immigration department.

welsh chris

All,

This thread is of great interest to me as I am moving to the island with my company in Jan/Feb 09. My partner on the other hand will not have a job and was planning to look for work when we arrived and apply for a work permit on the island and hopefully has this all sorted prior to her six month tourist visa expiring but given this thread i am having second thoughts. I have also been told by my company that my partner could be added to my permit as a dependent and be allowed to stay on the island as long myself but in this time she would would not be allowed to apply for work and hence a permit, is this correct?

Thx..

Chris

Belinda1974

Hi Chris,

Yes this is correct, your partner (only if you are married, I am not sure if they would allow the same for not married partners......) will be allowed to stay with you for the same period allowed with the work permit. But she will not be allowed to work!

Foxy_fromCanada

If you are not married, your work permit does not help your partner stay on the island. You either have to be married, or your partner has to get their own work permit. That's what our lawyer told us when we were considering moving here.

Good luck to you.

welsh chris

Thanks all..

I was told something slightly different as if we can prove our commmon law union and that I can support finiancially we are OK, have sent a note to my lawyer just to double check.

Thx...

Foxy_fromCanada

Oh!

You might be right about the common-law part. Sorry about that, I didn't think of it.

If you can, get a lawyer, or like Belinda suggests get the information from the CIO directly. As you can see from these posts, each of us has been told something slightly different from the other! And nobody wants to send you along the wrong path.

Best of luck.
Foxy

p.s. I have found lately that Immigration doesn't answer the phone, likely because they have been so busy re-doing the Guyanese paperworks. You might get better response if you visit them in person. Just a thought.

edit: I see you have a lawyer. That will be helpful

welsh chris

Thx Foxy..

Luckily my company has a relationship with the Chief Attorney so everything I do goes through him first so I should feel comfortable with the advice I am getting back.

Thx.

Chris

Sunniebgi

who's chief attorney?? are you talking about the attorney general of Barbados?? or are you talking about your companies chief attorney.. cause even if the AG of B is your friend, I still wouldn't trust anyone on this matter but the Chief Immigration Officer..

Serendipidy

People often give wrong advice with good intentions. They think they are up to date with information but things have changed within immigration and they do not know about it. Hence my advice is to have a lawyer so at least there is some "duty of care " there although even they have to ring up immigration to keep up to date. Be careful which lawyer tho because there are some that my friends have used who charge you to even call them (particularly a certain english one there!!) and then still wont deliver for ya.

It is also key to understand that immigration seem to deal with things on a case by case basis rather than a standard approach so its not a good idea to rely on how someone else got through.

Serendipidy

bimchick

I don't know ifthings have changed, but when I went to immigration the officer said I could apply for a 1 year extension BECAUSE I was applying for citizenship. That means that you are allowed to be on the island while citizenship is being granted. However, It's been 2.5 weeks and my passport won't be ready for another 1.5 weeks, so I'll let everyone know what my passport says then.