Bahamas permanent residence

The Department lists these categories: the spouse of a Bahamian after five years of marriage, where the marriage subsists and the couple cohabit; people born legitimately abroad to a married Bahamian mother whose husband is not Bahamian; economic investors of at least BSD 1.0 million; police and prison officers, government teachers and nurses employed for at least ten years; ministers of religion and doctors employed for at least 20 years; people who have held legal work permit status for more than 20 consecutive years; and people who have resided for at least 10 and less than 20 years holding a work permit in scales 5 to 8.

Most Department of Immigration applications share a core: a letter of request to the Director of Immigration; the BSD 200 non-refundable processing fee, paid by card, postal money order or certified cheque; the notarised application form with a BSD 10 Bahamian postage stamp; an original medical certificate dated no more than 30 days before submission; an original police certificate issued within six months covering five years of residence (from age 14); two 2 x 2 inch photos taken within six months; and a copy of the passport bio-data page with at least two months' validity.

Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and certified English translations must carry a BSD 10 postage stamp. People applying for status for the first time should not be in The Bahamas while the application is processed.

Fees under the Immigration Fee Scale depend on the category: BSD 15,000 in the general case; BSD 10,000 for people with 10 to 20 years of residence on a scale 4 to 7 work visa; BSD 1,000 to BSD 3,000 for long-serving teachers, nurses, police and religious workers; BSD 1,000 for the spouse or surviving spouse of a Bahamian under section 14 of the Act; and BSD 20,000 or BSD 25,000 for economic permanent residence. Each endorsement costs BSD 300, and the processing fee is BSD 200.

Spouses of Bahamians use Form IV(A); other applicants use the general form. Add two character references, the applicant's apostilled original birth certificate with English translation, the spouse's and children's birth certificates and passport pages, the certified marriage certificate, any naturalisation of the spouse, deed poll, divorce or death certificates, proof of current immigration status such as a work permit or permit to reside, proof of Real Property Tax payment and property conveyance where applicable, school letters and adoption records.