Samoa work permit

Anyone who is not a Samoan citizen or permanent resident needs a temporary resident permit that allows work before starting a job in Samoa. The employer sponsorship form defines employment as any work, whether permanent, temporary or casual, for another person or on a self-employed basis. The only exemption mentioned concerns work linked to Samoa's diplomatic, international or regional obligations.

The worker completes the temporary residence application form MPMC100, including the employment section, which asks for the employer's name and address, the proposed occupation, qualifications, the category of worker (visiting business person, short-term contract or consultant, or long-term contract of more than three years) and the length of the job. Attach two recent passport-size photos of the main applicant and each dependant.

Enclose originals or certified copies of employment references, training records and academic qualifications, together with medical and police reports. The medical report covers a physical examination and blood tests on form MPMC102 and a chest X-ray on form MPMC103; the permit decision is delayed if the reports are missing.

The current MPMC fee table lists SAT$900 for a main applicant applying off island, SAT$1,800 for a main applicant applying in country and SAT$450 for each dependent spouse or child. Processing takes about 10 working days, and an urgent request costs an extra SAT$100. Fees are paid in the currency of the country where the application is lodged, at the equivalent of the Samoan schedule; do not send cash by mail.

The process has two parts: the employee applies on MPMC100 and the employer applies as sponsor on MPMC101, accepting liability for all costs connected with the worker's presence in Samoa. Both forms are lodged at the Immigration Office, which passes copies to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour. That ministry assesses whether employing a non-citizen is in Samoa's best interests; only if it approves is a decision made on the entry permit, and a late sponsorship form delays the file.

The sponsoring employer takes full responsibility for the worker and any family members named on the form: it must make sure they leave Samoa when the job ends and pay that travel, cover any medical treatment while they are in the country, and refund the Government any costs it incurs. There is no charge for processing the sponsorship form.

The whole process should be completed before the employee arrives. The sponsorship information sheet warns that an overseas worker who tries to travel without a temporary resident permit will not be allowed to board, and that a worker who arrives before the grant may not work while the application is processed. The MPMC100 information sheet asks applicants to lodge 30 days before the intended travel date. If granted, the permit normally covers the full period of employment and includes multiple re-entry.

The holder may work only for the employer nominated in the application. If that employment ends for any reason, the permit may be cancelled and the holder must leave or apply for a new permit. To extend, use form MPMC108, which asks whether you intend to change sponsor; a new sponsorship form is needed if you do.

Medical reports are required for everyone over 16 staying a year or more, and police reports for everyone over 18, from every country lived in for more than a year in the last five years. Dependants of permit holders may apply on MPMC100 for permission to work while the principal's permit is valid.