Strygald

Hi,
I am having difficulty finding the info I need so thought i'd ask on these forums.

I am UK citizen and my fiancee is a US citizen, after becoming really weary of all the red-tape and restrictions that are placed on our relationship I had the great-or-not-so-great idea of us just being able to spend some unrestricted time together on a kind of extended holiday on a beautiful tropical island.

Does anyone know how I go about obtaining a Temporary Resident Permit? do I apply for it from my current location(i'm in Canada atm) or do I just show up on a tourist visa and then apply at local offices for the TRP?

Also, does a fiancee count as a dependent?

Gordon Barlow

I can't help you specifically, except to say that if TCI's rules are anything like Cayman's (and I think they are), then your ability to support yourself financially (without finding employment locally) will be a major factor for you. So: how rich are you, and in what assets? And, what is your annual income from investments?

Another question is: how long do you want to spend on your chosen island, and why wouldn't a tourist visa do instead?

No, a fiancee would not normally count as a dependent. She would have to have her own wealth and income.

I wish you well, but bureaucratic restrictions are pretty hard to dodge, these days!

Strygald

Hi, thanks for replying.

Well, i'm no millionaire unfortunately! but I believe I could easily support both of us financially without needing to work for the duration of our stay, she also has her own finances of course. We want to stay for just under a year which is why the TRP on Turks and Caicos seems ideal since it has a 1 year duration, whereas visitor visas are only 3 months.

We're also considering Saint Lucia though I don't think they have a 1 year TRP.

While it seems like we could visit on 3 month visitor visas and keep renewing, i'm wary of our renewals being denied at some point which would throw a big monkey wrench into our plans.

uk_grenada

Consider grenada, so long as you can affford to live here, you can stay pretty much indefinitely on visitors visas till you qualify for a residence permit.

Strygald

Interesting, is the standard of living in Grenada comparable to islands such as Saint Lucia and Turks and Caicos?

uk_grenada

Do you mean cost of living - in which case its comparable or some meaningless measure of wealth of locals generically which you can look to the cia world book for but really it doesnt mean a lot.

Do look at crime stats against the person and tax regime...

I wouldn't live in st lucia...

Ive only been to grand turk in t&c, thats an armpit of a place.

skip84

you can get the 90 day tourist visa and if you leave the island it is renewed, with the residency permit its valid for a year and there is just some forms you need to fill out and it costs around $1,600 per annum i believe, you will need to sign a declaration saying you wont work in the island. A fiancé will not count as a dependent unfortunately.

I would suggest asking a local law firm to assist you with the form prep as they make it more stream lined.

uk_grenada

In Gda, you get a 3 month tourist visa that is renewed as a formality for about 50ec dollars in the relevant ministry. Loads of Canadians snowbird doing this.

If you stay 3 years you get residency for several hundred ec so long as you have been good.