Svriseandshine
6/10/2016 02:58 EST
I am a 70 year old American citizen with a comfortable, but not princely, pension. I would like to retire to Trinidad but cannot find information reference obtaining legal residence status. Any info or experiences would be much appreciated.
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TechRep
6/10/2016 11:04 EST
Good luck.
The immigration process is lengthy and frustrating.
My question would be why Trinidad.
Housing is expensive, food the same.
A vehicle will cost you a fortune.
I would suggest you visit, and possibly go to the embassy there in POS.
It would not surprise me a bit if the TT government would want to impose their ridiculously high income tax on your pension, for the "privilege" of living there.
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OhChuts
6/10/2016 11:48 EST
Same Q ,... "Why Trinidad" ... you know the saying, "Think twice ...", well in this case I would say "Think at least 4 times ....". Have you ever visited Trinidad? If not go for a week, without commitments. Try driving around the main city, POS and its surburbs.
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Placestogo6
6/10/2016 12:04 EST
my little 2 cents... driving around .. is ok... u will see the streets... i went for two months... what i found very disturbing is how people are unwilling to help someone who wants to move.. it was astonishing... lawyers to not call back nor respond to email requests about residency... do you really want to be where u are not welcome? especially when economy worldwide shtf ? i have also read that if u bring money into TT .. getting it out is almost impossible... people had to contact their embassies to get help to get their money out when they chose to leave TT..
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TechRep
6/10/2016 12:25 EST
Not calling you back, not responding to emails is normal there. It doesn't matter who, or how important it is.
It is very difficult to get very simple things done. My experience is that most people look for a reason NOT to help.
When I first was transferred there, it took 3 months just to get my cable TV turned on and working. Every time I called, it was just another excuse.
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OhChuts
6/10/2016 12:32 EST
Is there a particular reason that you chose Trinidad? Quite honestly it wouldn't even be in my top ten list ... make that twenty.
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kenwyn
8/18/2016 08:19 EST
Good Day,
If you have tried pulling out your fingernails with blunt pliers this would be a good comparison to obtaining residency in Trinidad.
Staff at the Immigration department are rude, slow, lazy, ignorant and unhelpful. Most of them do not know how to execute their jobs and have to continuously refer issues to their supervisors.
Hiring an Attorney to act on your behalf is a good option.
Having said that.........any foreigner who has resided or studied in the country for Three (3) or more years can apply to the Ministry of National Security for residency.
Foreigners can buy property without needing a permit. In Tobago, this may no longer be the case as the Island Authorities (THA) has placed restrictions on foreign ownership of lands there.
My suggestion would be to buy your property and enter the country as a tourist. Immigration will give you Three (3) months stay on entry and you can apply for a further Three (3) months extension before the initial period expires.
Simply leave the country after the six month period and return a couple weeks later, and repeat the process continuously until you have accrued the 3 year residency minimal limit and then apply for permanent residency.
Once you apply for the Permanent residency you will be required to post a returnable bond of 1200 USD with the Immigration Department.
You will not be required to leave the country periodically but you will have to visit their offices to obtain time extensions until you actually receive the residency document.
Good Luck.
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TechRep
8/18/2016 16:22 EST
I like the fingernails and blunt plyer example given in the previous post.
My question is why would you want to retire there?????
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gingerbaby
9/19/2016 12:57 EST
I will give you my honest opinion. You should first read up everything on Trinidad regarding visas, etc., on the Government of Trinidad Internet site. Yes, there are lots of places in Trinidad that are very nice, but that is the beautiful homes, malls, etc. Are you in good health? That is the most important thing at your age that you have to ask yourself. I live in Canada, and that is my first question to myself. I will explain why. You might not enjoy staying in a public hospital if you get sick. I don't think that the doctors that they are hiring from abroad are the doctors that I would like to go to. The conditions are not the best because they seem to be not up-to-date with the medical world. The private nursing homes are extremely expensive and again, I do not trust the doctors. They price their services for the rich. Doctors in Trinidad are not required to update their training. After leaving University, they are not required to do upgrades like abroad and register with the government of their upgrades on an ongoing basis before continuing their practice They cannot get some medicines and they do not have all the specialists to deal with certain operations that you will need. That is a bad sign. The crime is very high. So you will have to live in a very expensive area to feel a bit safe. I hope that you have nice relatives or very close friends. When we go back home to live (was born there) I understand that your old friends do not bother with you much. In your case, making new friends will not be that easy. They move with their families and in their little circles and I don't find people very friendly otherwise . Everything is done by who you know, everything is a greased hand. People have become very greedy when coming to money. If you can't hand them something, they have no uses for you. The society had become very selfish. I would chose another Caribbean island to retire. Forget Trinidad, if you are not a Trinidadian and do not have a very close circle of friends and a lot of money to splurge around.
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