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Yes, same policy as the USA has for citizens of 38 countries. FYI, Jamaica is not one of them. These other countries citizens have to apply for a visa to visit their property. It is not automatically granted.Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLoveOneBlood
I have explored this option over the past couple of years. I realized as a couple others have mentioned that when you factor in all the difficulties it is simply not for me. Just like ACCOMPONG said l believe living in Florida and taking a short flight and staying for 30 days a year is my happy place.
I checked into residency last year and found out that because I receive a government pension the path was quite easy. A friend of mine also checked into the process and was told because he didn't have a pension or enough liquid assets he was denied. I have another friend from the US that owns two properties in and around NEGRIL. While these places are beautiful what he goes thru to maintain and just live a normal life seems like a lot of work to me. I live 5 mins off the coast in FL and I have a lot of the benefits of Caribbean life without a lot of the headaches. My life just seems a whole lot easier and I can go to JA and get my NEGRIL fix. On my last trip towards the end of the trip I was mentally ready to come home.
I found that if I were ever to become an ex-pat I would probably put Belize at the top of my list over JA. Again it comes down to financial situation, but Belize has an excellent ex-pat and pensioner program that offers many rewards for putting money into their country.
I don't see myself ever leaving the Nature Coast of FL for more than 30 to maybe 60 days a year though as I believe I have found my happy space.
Good luck to all and remember this saying and I believe it applies now more than ever in our interesting times "When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done." The sky is not falling in. Cheers!
This is an interesting thread I got my residency almost two years ago. That in itself was a total nightmare. The thing about jamaica is you can live here 25 years and even get citizenship but you will never be a jamaican or accepted as one. You will have ja friends who will say you are and treat you that way but when you are alone you are just another white man. Aubee is the one who shared that thought with me and a few others. It's not easy to live here kinda like Tombstone in the 1800s. Don't be fooled by all the smiling faces it's a very very hard life here for jamaicans 99% of them would leave here in a heart beat and never return. Just some thoughts from a tired old man trying to survive in an insane world.
Thank you for putting into words almost exactly my thoughts on living here in Jamaica... especially rural Jamaica.Quote:
Originally Posted by eddiemingus
Same here... about 25 years and blessed with very good friends but could only really count on one or two if it was me that needed the help they expect from me. This is not putting Jamaica or Jamaicans down. It is just a fact IMHO that Jamaica runs like a clunky old piece of machinery. It sputters and spits but it keeps grinding on with some crazy form of precision. Jamaicans have learned over the years to adapt to differences that we as outsiders will never truly understand.
I am told nearly daily that I am "almost" a Jamaican because I have learned how to adapt to rural Jamaican life. My word is not given often but when I do, I follow through at whatever cost. I have pretty much learned when to bite my tongue and agree with a nod even when I don't really agree. These are not things that can be mastered with only casual contact a couple of times a year just like with our friends back home.
I favor the idea of more people coming to Jamaica to live as long as they come with their eyes wide open and not mesmerized by Robinson Crusoe inspired ideas of living off the land and having a man Friday. Every year I return I know of more people getting VISAs and leaving Jamaica and most are more educated and better off than the ones that can't qualify. That void needs to be filled by people from affaren who have those skill sets.
I am satisfied to spend my up to 6 months a year here in Jamaica and the remainder on the beautiful East Coast of Florida.
Peace and Guidance
I think a lot of people who love Jamaica at one time or another think, ''oh, wouldn't it be great to live here."" I know enough people that do, that would tell you it sounds a lot
better than it is.
''LIving there,'' is not the same as lounging around on the beach, and going out to places to eat and drink everyday. And even if you are a ''country person'' I can only imagine
how much more difficult it would be to live in conditions that would present itself.
I know someone from US, that married a Jamaican. lasted 5 years, and had had enough. Moved back , now married and living separately.
I know I could never, as I would miss my family way to much, but I'm satisfied to just have a great place like Negril , to look forward to going to a couple times a year, and realize how
lucky I am just to do that !!
Everyone's experience is different as we are all different people.
As one who has actually been here for 25 years full time I find the comments interesting, but not unusual.
Eddie, alone or not, I am a white man. Had I been born in a non white family, when I am alone I would be what ever race I was born. I am not sure what the "white man" statement has to do with anything.
Jamaica is a diverse country. There are Jamaicans of virtually every possible heritage and mix of those heritages.
Norval Marley, Bob's father was a white Jamaican born in Sussex, England. When he was alone he was a white man, but still a Jamaican and father of the most famous Jamaican. No disrespect to Usain Bolt.
And possibly the fact I have been living here daily and started a business, dealing with the
sputtering and spitting as Accompong calls it, I am not outside of but right in the middle of the action and understand it.
When you move here, you make choices everyday that will effect your future. That is because it goes both ways. You are moving to a new country and the locals have to deal with a new person living among them.
Consider it a test if you will. It isn't just about your struggles relocating. Your neighbors and the surrounding area don't know you yet and have to find out what kind of person you are and how far they can trust you. They need to find out what kind of person you are inside. Life is hard here and most of the Jamaicans you meet have been lied to by many foreigners. They need to learn about you by the actions you take.
In an emergency, will you be a help or a hindrance? Are you a hard worker (or have been) and do you value earnings or do you throw money around without regard? Are you a socially public person or do you keep to yourself? What hidden vices may you enjoy? And in today's world, what kind of things do you post on the Internet?
This process takes years, not weeks or months. At less than two years, you still have a long way to go. At five years, you have just begun to allow the locals to know the kind of person you are. At 10 years the locals know who you are and will treat you accordingly.
And Tombstone in the 1800's? None of us were there so I don't even know what to say about that except I never read anything about cars, motorcycles, electricity or cellphones being in use back then.
My experiences are different. I don't hang around the ex pat crowd, I find too much dwelling on the negative and things you cannot change . Virtually all my friends are Jamaicans. Together we laugh, we cry, we celebrate, we mourn. We have discussions and even arguments. But I count on all of them when times get tough and help them when they need it.
I recently got in an accident with a route taxi. As I am sure many of you have heard it is always the foreigner who pays. But Jamaican witnesses came to my defense since it was the taxi driver's fault. Some of them I didn't even personally know. The taxi owner paid all the damages to both vehicles.
Acceptance is something you earn. And there are no guarantees that you will earn it. I know of some ex pats who have been here for decades and still have problems. I have found that you tend to be treated the way you treat others.
Living here full time might make the difference, but I have only been told once to "bite my tongue" in my ten years here. I was given unsolicited "advice" by a white man (North American expat)...I had seen him around town but didn't really know much about him. He told me that as a white female, that I should never open my mouth down here, to keep to myself and not share my opinions. I was stunned, upset and puzzled...though I had a pretty good idea he was wrong...Quote:
Originally Posted by Accompong
I asked my Jamaican friends in the area about his advice, and they told me to ignore him because "he's an idiot". I later found out he had married a very young Jamaican woman (she left him) and had been in Negril for about two years...he was also struggling to live here and having many problems in the area. I should have realized this as he was so horribly negative about most things down here.
I've learned to take any advice or information given with a grain of salt (of course there's sources I respect), learned it's okay to open my mouth and have an opinion...but just like anywhere it's best to listen and learn first and get a good grip on your environment before you start judging and sharing those opinions.
Live the dream but live it wisely!
AMEN................... hi lisa..miss me yet:cool:
The first time I had a private chat with my current wife, I told her "I'm going to retire in Jamaica." Now that I'm retired, we stay in Negril for an extended time in the winter, but I really like where I live in the mild weather seasons. We especially like our home and bed!
We have friends who stay even longer than we do. One couple stays almost 90 days way out on the west end in a rental cabin and another couple own a home they had built up in the hills near Green Island, stay long enough that they have to renew their visas. I find neither all that attractive. After overhearing a conversation at Tree House about land for sale, the home owners spent years acquiring the property, years more introducing themselves to the local builders, building a road that is impassable and finally their home. It's a beautiful home with a view of the 7 mile beach, but too remote for my taste.
In any event, you can rent a nice place in Negril for less than a mortgage payment in foreign, and bnewb notes stay up to 180 days/year. Why bother with permanent residence and owning a home? Respect --Marblehead
In any event, you can rent a nice place in Negril for less than a mortgage payment in foreign, and bnewb notes stay up to 180 days/year. Why bother with permanent residence and owning a home? Respect --Marblehead <<< Agree with ya on that one! Plus you could rent a few months here and then move to another location on da island and try it out in that Parish. IMO