If you were born in Jamaica and possess a non-Jamaican passport, the child of a Jamaican citizen or of Jamaican descent then you qualify for and can obtain unconditional landing status (UL) from the Passport, Immigration & Citizenship Agency (PICA) in Jamaica. PICA has offices located at 25c Constant Spring Road, Kingston and 49 Union Street in Montego Bay.
The purpose of the UL stamp is so that you will not need to justify your presence in the island for over six months or if you choose to remain indefinitely. With a stamp of unconditional landing status on your passport, you will be permitted to remain in Jamaica indefinitely without having to apply for permits. The UL allows you to remain in Jamaica for extended periods of time in order to visit, attend school or work.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- Complete the Application for Extension of Time Form. Be sure to select ‘unconditional landing’ under ‘Reasons for extension of time’
- Present your non-Jamaican passport, Jamaican birth certificate, passport or certificate of citizenship
- There is a non-refundable fee of JM$10, 000 for first-time applicants. It will cost JM$5,000 to transfer the stamp to a new passport.
- Please note that it is not necessary for you to obtain permission from non-Jamaican immigration services to apply for unconditional landing status in Jamaica.
- The various forms and additional information may be found on PICA’s website at: http://www.pica.gov.jm.
Source
Deidre S. Powell, a lawyer, mediator and notary public who is a member of the Jamaican and Ontario, Canada bars, with main office located in Ottawa, Ontario. Her areas of practice are in immigration, real estate, personal injury, family and administration of estates.
