Seychelles permanent residence

Form IMM-15 sets out four routes. Marriage to a Seychellois: married to a citizen for at least five years with the marriage still subsisting and at least five years of aggregate legal residence, or five years of marriage that has ended or in which the spouse has died, with five years of residence. A spouse with Seychellois children who has lived there less than five years becomes eligible once five years are completed. Priority workers: at least five years of legal residence plus extraordinary ability in science, arts, education, economics, business, law or sports, a doctorate, master's or bachelor's degree in an area likely to contribute significantly to development, or a significant contribution to Seychelles.

Non-Seychellois students: at least five years of residence, studies in Seychelles up to secondary level, a university degree and at least two years of employment on a Gainful Occupation Permit. Investors: an investment equivalent to at least USD 1 million in Seychelles rupees with at least one year of legal residence, or the same investment together with a business association with Seychelles of at least five years.

Every applicant supplies a police character certificate and a passport photograph. Spouses add a birth certificate or passport bio page, the marriage certificate, the spouse's death certificate where relevant and minor children's birth certificates. Priority workers and former students add a CV with employment history, university degree certificates and a copy of the passport bio page. Investors add police certificates for everyone to be endorsed, full documentary evidence of the investment and full-face photographs of the applicant and each person to be endorsed.

A processing fee of SCR 1,000 is payable when any application is submitted. The permit fee then depends on the category: SCR 1,000 for marriage to a Seychellois, payable on approval; SCR 10,000 for priority workers; SCR 10,000 for non-Seychellois students; and SCR 150,000 for investors.

Book an appointment by calling 4293600 and asking for the Permanent Residence Permit and Citizenship Section. Applications are submitted at the Immigration Office, Independence House, first floor, Victoria, Mahé; the section can also be reached at prcitsection@immigration.gov.sc. The same section handles residence permits, dependant's permits and citizenship applications.

The general conditions are that the holder is not a prohibited immigrant, has not been sentenced to more than a year in prison and is not absent from Seychelles for more than one year without the Minister's consent. Naturalisation later requires an aggregate of 15 years of residence, a pass of at least 80 per cent in the citizenship examination in one of the three national languages, no prison sentence of a year or more and no continuous absence of a year without written permission; the naturalisation fee is SCR 15,000.

The permit lets the holder work without a Gainful Occupation Permit and exempts them from any other permit to live or work. Holders can buy land and residential property with government sanction, paying only 50 per cent of the sanction fee. Minor children may be endorsed on the permit until they turn 18, after which they need another permit. Permanent residents are not entitled to free health care.