Hello,

I'm a Commonwealth citizen (UK) and successfully self-employed; my business is entirely location-independent and I'm looking into moving to Kingston in 2017. (I've spent time there, have friends there and am certain.)

I have read through various immigration websites and the thread about starting a business in Jamaica on this forum (and contacted PICA, but still waiting for a response), and I'm wondering how to go about moving an existing business to Jamaica and obtaining residency. In the UK, I am registered as self-employed/a sole trader, but I suspect I would have to found an actual company in Jamaica -- or is there a similar tax status for freelancers available as there is in the UK? I know that self-employment work permits are available, but it seems that they only cover a short period of time and do not entail residency. Is this correct?

Since my clients are all based abroad, I wouldn't be taking any local job and paying a decent amount of taxes, so I hope there won't be too many issues. For the time being, I'll be over on a tourist visa for half a year from February, and I'm hoping to get the process started during that period. What should my first steps be? Does anyone know an immigration lawyer (ideally in Kingston or Mobay) I could contact?

Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks