THE EDITOR:
Last winter my wife and I spent 61 days living in a rental condominium in Rodney Bay. We got to know many other tourists who were living in St Lucia for durations that exceeded their 42-day visa allowance. Most of these tourists expressed real concerns about the process involved in extending their visas beyond 42 days. Their objections centred on having to surrender their passports for seven days while the visa extension was being processed.
Being without one’s passport while in a foreign country is extremely stressful as it makes it impossible to leave the country if an emergency occurs. These types of emergencies include suffering a serious accident or illness that cannot be treated in a St Lucia hospital, or the sudden death or illness of a loved one back home.
Although the St Lucia Immigration office stated that passports could be retrieved in the event of an emergency, they admitted the offices are closed on evenings and weekends, making it impossible to retrieve the passport outside of normal office hours. They also indicated that they would release the passport only if the tourist can get a doctor or police officer to provide written proof of the emergency. This documentation can be difficult and time consuming to obtain.
Other concerns tourists have about being deprived of their passports include: 1) not being able to produce official identification if required, 2) not being able to travel to another island (i.e. Martinique, Dominica) during the 7 day period, and 3) worry that the passport may get lost during processing.
We urge your immigration office to review its visa extension process with a view to eliminating the need for tourists staying longer than 42 days to surrender their passports. These long-stay tourists make significant contributions to the St Lucia economy. They buy groceries, eat in restaurants, use taxi, bus and tour services, and pay rental income.
We believe the current visa extension process discourages many long-stay tourists from returning in future years, and reduces the number of tourists willing to visit the island for the first time.
Two concerned
Canadian citizens
Two Concerned Canadian Citizens:
Cry me a river! Better yet, go do your whinging to Harper!
You people need to get your priorities together, you mourn and groan when the tourist don’t visit the island nor spend when they visit. However, when they do visit you treat them unfairly leaving a long-lasting negative impression of the island. Whether it’s immigration or the police you must learn to cherish the hand that feed you or else they will stop visiting. Some of those people saved all their lives and this is the first and only trip outside their country only to encounter such bad experiences from the ones who should be protecting them.
Poor People Fed-Up,
Do you qualify as one of those who has never made a “trip outside their country”? You should try it for yourself, and see how unfairly you would be treated.
And that “hand that feed you” nonsense only confirms your beggar’s mentality regarding all human interaction.
LOL, Nudge, where are you now, in NY/Canada? I spent the last two years in Lucia and just got back in the US late last year. I don’t recall seeing you anywhere, I guess you never came out or you remained at la-gwace where you from…lol. I roamed island wide and there was no sight of you. You only see St. Lucia online…lol and call yourself a Lucian…lol.
Ain’t no shame if I were a beggar, you have to do what you have to do sometimes my man. I am simply trying to help the Lucian people who are not as fortunate or whose visas have been revoked, to treat the visitors with some more respect, treat people the way you would like to be treated. Whenever, we visit another country we expect to be treated fairly, so why not do the same to them, that’s all I am saying….lol.
Why are you attacking me, I read your post where Son-of-man blode-fire you some time ago, you were quiet as a mouse…..lol
My point to the Canadians is that they expect St. Lucians to treat them in a manner to which they are not accustomed to in their own country!
And your beggarly mentality is not a “sometimes” ting. Let me know if everyone you meet in the US would ever ingratiate themselves to you, like you do to foreigners, who expect to spend their vacation lording over Lucians catching hell in the country of their birth! Are you on vacation in the US?
Inquiring minds, I am a grown man and I do as the most high directs me. I am helping promote my beloved country and I do not need being attacked by Malaprop like you . Why don’t you be of some value to your country?