fwi

Hi everybody,

I've read many interesting threads here about moving to a Caribbean islands and all aspects involved, from job seeking to health insurance,
unemployment, everyday life, etc. However, I haven't found what I was looking for.

As an IT professional with several customers in the French WI + Guyana, I would like to move my business to a Commonwealth island
(possibly St Lucia for easier access, but Anguilla or St Kitts are also considered) and also become a resident (at least part-time).

I am basically looking for a more agreeable lifestyle and more favorable tax situation.

I am hoping that being 1/ a potential investor 2/ someone who will bring hard currency into the country's banking system and 3/ a potential employer for IT graduates will make things easier from an administrative and legal standpoint, but I'm still unsure how to go about it.

Can I own/manage a company and/or own property without being a resident ? Do you still need work permits if you're self-employed ? How easy is it to conduct business with non-CARICOM (i.e. French) islands ?
Is it a good idea to get in touch with government officials beforehand ? Will corruption be a major problem or a manageable issue ?

Any feedback/opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time !

Pistolpete2

I think that your plan is eminently doable in St Lucia assuming that you do not actually do business with customers on the island and are therefore functioning as an offshore company. What is more, logistically, you are well placed in St Lucia.

You will not get residence per se as this takes time but would need to get an annual work permit.

Your plan is actually exactly the sort of business that St Lucia should be aiming to stimulate right now BUT it is possible that you can get public officials that are WIFM oriented but that does not have to be the case.

I cannot name an appropriate individual who would give you concrete advice regarding company incorporation details at this point as you would need to keep your plans fairly close to your chest until you have most of your ducks in a row.

You would need to come here to get a feel as to whether there is the requisite talent pool to meet your particular needs. Of course there are a number of St Lucians who speak good French as well.

pgtips

There were plans to give residency to individuals who purchased a property over a certain value but I have not heard much of this recently. Your plan certainly sounds feasible. You may want to speak to a lawyer about how it is all set up and your exact position. I can recommend a good lawyer for these matters if you wish.

fwi

Hello,

Just coming back from the WI. Had an interesting meeting with St. Lucia General Consul in Fort-de-France, a very nice and forthcoming gentleman indeed. Seems to have a strong interest / heartfelt commitment to developing this kind of relationship between St.L. and the affluent French dominions. He proposes that I set up a dossier that he would forward to St.L. govt. for decisions to be made "at the appropriate level".

What do you think ? Is it the right way to go ?

to pgtips : would you send me your lawyer's details by PM ? Thanks in advance.

Also, the interconnection to the Internet is quite good on the paper, but how is it in practice ? If you use the internet in a professional manner, what is your opinion about availability/actual performance/prices ?

Thank you so much for your help & advice !

_Tropical_11th

Wherever you decide, Barbados should be easy to work with. Barbados has direct flights to St. Lucia, and TeleBarbados' subsea cable to the USA has St. Lucia as the only hop.
The Barbados government's investment agencies ( www.bidc.com and www.investbarbados.net ) have done a few trade missions to the French Islands and the French isles have done a few missions to Barbados.

http://www.bidc.com/index.php?option...article&id=136

Currently, the flights between the two are mainly during the summer I believe.

For Internet prices in Barbados see:
http://www.lime.com/
http://www.telebarbados.com/
http://www.freemotion.bb/
http://www.sunbeach.net/
http://www.winetonline.com/
http://www.cariaccess.com/

fwi

This is very interesting, thank you. Was there any reporting/follow-up after that trip (Nov. 2010) ? I could not find much on Google .

_Tropical_11th

Hello fwi,

I don't know a whole lot about the FWI end. :-) But Barbados is now bound to the European Union economically since the signing of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

I do recall reading a several articles with the business leaders of both nations meeting. Barbados signed a short-stay (90-days exemption) with the Schengen Area of the European Union.

--
Visa-Free Travel For Barbadians To European Countries In The Schengen Area
http://www.gisbarbados.gov.bb/index....articleid=1830
--

However, since the outer regions of Europe tend to be exempt from these sort of treaties the Barbados government then held meetings with France to also make Martinique and Guadeloupe exempt.
--
NO VISA FOR TRAVEL TO MARTINIQUE AND GUADELOUPE
http://www.foreign.gov.bb/Userfiles/...Martinique.pdf

--

The several Barbados businesses went to Martinique for a trade mission, and French businesses also visited Barbados in-turn too.

--

* http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/news...s&NewsID=12765

* http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/...rtinique-link/

You may want to consider contacting:
The Barbados Coalition of Service Industries. -- http://www.bcsi.org.bb/
or
Barbados International Business Associations --http://www.biba.bb/

They usually plan these big missions. :-)