St Vincent and the Grenadines work permit

Non-nationals who wish to take up employment in the state must first obtain permission. The Office of the Prime Minister handles work permits for both employed and self-employed people and uses two forms: Form 1 for applicants to be employed by an employer, and a separate form for the self-employed. Since 1 August 2011, OECS nationals have not been required to apply for work or residence permits under the OECS Treaty. Medical students on an elective at Milton Cato Memorial Hospital need no work permit.

The applicant must have a prospective employer or proof of being self-employed. The employer letter is central to the file, and the position must have been advertised: the employer part of Form 1 asks for local and overseas advertisements, the publication used, any requisition through the Labour Department, the employer's total staff split between nationals, Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals, and any training programme for Vincentians.

Submit the completed work permit form (the consulate's checklist asks for it in duplicate) with a letter from the employer, a certified copy of the passport bio page, proof that the position was advertised, two certified passport photos, a police certificate of character from the country where you most recently lived for more than six months before arriving, a medical certificate and a contact telephone number. Add birth and marriage certificates, including a decree absolute, where relevant. Any document not in English needs an official translation.

The Office of the Prime Minister's citizenship page lists a non-refundable application fee of $150 for a work permit, while its requirement sheet and the consulate's checklist give EC$200. The permit fee is paid only on approval. The schedule in force as at 1 March 2016, still published by the office and marked subject to change, charges CARICOM nationals EC$960 a year and other nationals EC$700 for up to 30 days, EC$1,400 up to 60 days, EC$2,100 up to 90 days and EC$2,400 for over 90 days up to 12 months. A replacement permit costs EC$100.

Applicants do not need to be in the country: forms can be mailed, sent by courier or handed in at the Office of the Prime Minister by someone acting for the applicant. The office is on the 4th floor of the Administrative Centre, Bay Street, Kingstown. The documents are sent to Cabinet for approval, and the average processing time for work and residence permits is six to eight weeks.

A work permit on its own is issued on a one-time basis for no more than six months. Anyone requesting a longer period must also submit a residence permit application. On renewal, the form asks whether income tax is owed in St Vincent and the Grenadines and for the number and date of the last tax receipt.