Application for residents permit

You can stay for 3 months as a tourist and this can be renewed for another 3 months which makes it 6 months, provided you are granted the full 3 months stay each time.

Thanks

Thats Rubbish unless there is something you are not saying.

I am MAuritian and returned with my husband together in 2015  , he remained here whilst we went through the process of applying for his residence permit which bear in mind you DO need some certification form your original country,
BUT once we had ALL the correct paperwork  the process was quite easy and as i remember fast i think it took about 2-3 months for it to come through

I am fully aware of-the documentation needed and the only document I am waiting for according to the immigration office is a joint bank account with my wife.
They have told me it can take six months once they have all the paperwork. I can only go by what the immigration have told me .

16 years? Are you applying for citizenship or residency? You don't actually need any permit if your spouse is a Mauritian Citizen, you automatically get resident status. But getting a permit is useful if you encounter any issues with the authorities or passport control.

I wonder why it took 16 years to get around to applying.

If you have lived with your Mauritian spouse under the same conjugal roof for 4 years or more you should consider getting full citizenship and a passport, not just residency.

And yes it can take more than 6 months

That's not right.

Best is to take advise from Immigration officer. Visit immigration office with supportive document. They will advise you correctly.

We have been married for sixteen years and lived together in the UK until fairly recently that’s why it has taken so long .
And I’m sure I don’t automatically get residency I still have to go through the application process .

That’s exactly what I have done Gitesh

Well if you are sure, no need to ask then. I think you are wrong. But getting a permit is a good thing to do anyway. I have done exactly that all by myself.

I have recently been through this process.  I was told by immigration office that it would take 6 months from submission of the application and all the correct documents.  In the end, it was around 3 months, but they won't call you to say the residence permit is ready so I would give them a call after around 3 months to see how things are progressing.  They will make a note on the system to say that you have applied for residence as the spouse of a citizen and I didn't need to apply for any other extension to stay in Mauritius when I went just over the 3 months.  Just consider that the requirements can change at any point so it is best to check the latest information, but I went through it this year so my experience is recent.

Thanks that’s very helpful

telbowler wrote:

Hi

I am married to a Mauritian and have been for 16 years now . My wife and children live in Mauritius and I am applying for my residents permit.
My question is I have been told by immigration that it will take six months to process will I be allowed to stay while the application is going through or do I have to leave and come back later ?

When you landed in Mauritius, did you tell the immigration officer at the airport that you are coming as the spouse of a Mauritian?
Did he stamp your passport and how many weeks/months did he give you?*
*As the spouse of a citizen of Mauritius, you are exempted from requiring a visitor/tourist visa but you have to apply for a resident permit as the spouse of  a Mauritian

Yes in fact I did tell them at the airport that I am married to a Mauritian as I have to every time I come in because I’m staying at my house rather than a hotel.
But last year when I came over the officer at the airport said “I’m not gonna allow you to stay for two months I’m gonna allow a month” then said “no .. two weeks if you want to stay longer you will have to get an extension “
Even the staff at the immigration office in Port Louise didn’t understand why he did that .
So as soon as I get the residents permit the better .

Dear Telbowler,

Sablo is correct in his assessment. I would suggest printing out the Immigration Act 1973 so that you have it when you arrive but I can't seem to attach it here. I am sure it will be up on one of the Government sites.

In short, section 4 details who has an automatic right to enter and remain, in this context, a 'resident'. Section 5 then goes on to define a 'resident' under 5(c) as  '..the spouse of a citizen'. You therefore have full right to be here, and stay here, although your automatic right to work here was eroded only recently. Getting a permit makes sense in any event for many reasons when here and when coming back into the country.

Hope that is useful.

Philip

telbowler wrote:

Yes in fact I did tell them at the airport that I am married to a Mauritian as I have to every time I come in because I’m staying at my house rather than a hotel.
But last year when I came over the officer at the airport said “I’m not gonna allow you to stay for two months I’m gonna allow a month” then said “no .. two weeks if you want to stay longer you will have to get an extension “
Even the staff at the immigration office in Port Louise didn’t understand why he did that .
So as soon as I get the residents permit the better .

Then go to th ePassport and Immigration Office to explain your case and to get a permission to stay ( you don't need a visa per se ) whilst your spouse resident permit is under review.
The Passport and Immigration Officer
Sterling House
9 - 11 Lislet Geoffroy Street
Port - Louis
Mauritius
Tel : + (230) 210-9312 or +(230) 210-9319
Fax : +(230) 210-9322
E-mail: piomain@govmu.org or piovisa@govmu.org
URL: http://passport.govmu.org

Very apt and precise. Just that some of them would still play stubborn and act as if the immigration act is alien to them.

Be nice and co-operative when you go, you dont want to get cassified as a "prohibited" person.

Ha ha I’m always nice and cooperative

Thank you yes very helpful

Hi telbowler. I too am married to a Mauritian citizen, although she was born in the UK. Her parents are Mauritian-born, so my wife acquired her Mauritian citizenship, Mauritian passport and Mauritian ID card many years ago. We too have been to the immigration office several times with all of our relevant documents in the hope that we can retire to Mauritius . Each immigration official has told us completely different things, and it is abundantly clear that none of them know the requirements as they seem to change with each different government.
Each time we’ve been told that I am not entitled to live in Mauritius or acquire residency/citizenship , despite her being a Mauritian citizen.
We have therefore given up hope.

Matt. Sorry to hear about the frustration. You are entitled to live here as a spouse of a Mauritian Citizen, this is a fact. You can apply for a residence permit on that basis.

There are some hoops to jump through for example you must be able to show adequate financial means to support yourselves here.

Having said that, if you wish to work here it is now different from 8th March 19. You must or your employer must apply for a work permit.

Don't give up.

Sablo wrote:

Matt. Sorry to hear about the frustration. You are entitled to live here as a spouse of a Mauritian Citizen, this is a fact. You can apply for a residence permit on that basis.

There are some hoops to jump through for example you must be able to show adequate financial means to support yourselves here.

Having said that, if you wish to work here it is now different from 8th March 19. You must or your employer must apply for a work permit.

Don't give up.

@Sablo

Does it mean the work permit can be obtained while in Mauritius as a Mauritian spouse or you have to get the work permit before entering Mauritius?
Can you also apply for a work permit directly if you currently don't have any employer to apply for you at the moment based on the new law.

@Marko

If you are not currently in Mauritius, you can approach this in a couple of ways. Firstly, you have every right to reside here, right now due to your marriage. However one can never predict what the airport immigration person you get will do. For example, it should be sufficient for you to come in by showing your original marriage certificate at the desk. You don't actually have to have a resident permit if you are married to a Mauritian. But it does help if you get one.

My approach to this would be to request a temporary business Visa, usually 90 days duration at the desk, you get a stamp in your passport.

I would then make the application for the resident permit. To get this you need to show you have enough funds to support yourselves. A bank statement will suffice usually. Your residence permit will take 5 or 6 months.

In the meantime as you have entered on a business visa, you can get a job, your employer will have to apply for the work permit. You will have the receipt from your residence application which you will need to include in the work permit application.

If you are already here, I would do all of the above except the airport part.

S

Sablo wrote:

@Marko

If you are not currently in Mauritius, you can approach this in a couple of ways. Firstly, you have every right to reside here, right now due to your marriage. However one can never predict what the airport immigration person you get will do. For example, it should be sufficient for you to come in by showing your original marriage certificate at the desk. You don't actually have to have a resident permit if you are married to a Mauritian. But it does help if you get one.

My approach to this would be to request a temporary business Visa, usually 90 days duration at the desk, you get a stamp in your passport.

I would then make the application for the resident permit. To get this you need to show you have enough funds to support yourselves. A bank statement will suffice usually. Your residence permit will take 5 or 6 months.

In the meantime as you have entered on a business visa, you can get a job, your employer will have to apply for the work permit. You will have the receipt from your residence application which you will need to include in the work permit application.

If you are already here, I would do all of the above except the airport part.

S

Some misinformation here.

First of all, please understand the difference between a 'Work Permit' and an 'Occupation Permit-Professional'.
A WP is delivered by the Ministry of Labour and one cannot be in the country when the application process is going on.
An Occupation Permit is delivered by the Economic Development Board and one can enter Mauritius with a business visa (provided he has enough formal documentation to provide to the border agent to get a Business visa) while his OP is being processed.
Obtaining a business visa is not that easy and certainly not granted for 90 days to a Nigerian citizen.

Now, no one has a 'right' to reside in Mauritius even if he is married to a Mauritian citizen. Only someone with Mauritian citizenship has constitutional right to reside in Mauritius.
Only the Prime Minister's Office has the prerogative to decide who can reside in Mauritius.

That said, given that Marko is married to a Mauritius citizen, he has the right to apply for a spouse resident permit to stay in Mauritius.
Thing is he once overstayed his tourist visa while in Mauritius and he is now blacklisted and this will greatly complicate his application for a spouse permit and will also prevent him from coming to Mauritius even on a tourist visa. In such a situation, it is the passport and Immigration Office in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office who will ultimately decide if he should be allowed in Mauritius.

@Winston. You are very wrong on many counts. Too many for me to outline. But for example, having read all the immigration law here, one HAS the right to reside here if one is lawfully married to a Mauritian Citizen. One does not have the right to citizenship though, unless one has lived with said spouse under the same conjugal roof for 4 years or more. You are confusing the issue by mixing up what you are trying to separate.  You can apply for a work permit from the labour office whilst you are here, which every spouse of a Mauritian now has to if they were employed after 8th March. I could go on, but I stand by what I said. Get a business Visa, or show your marriage papers on entry.

Sablo wrote:

@Winston. You are very wrong on many counts. Too many for me to outline. But for example, having read all the immigration law here, one HAS the right to reside here if one is lawfully married to a Mauritian Citizen. One does not have the right to citizenship though, unless one has lived with said spouse under the same conjugal roof for 4 years or more. You are confusing the issue by mixing up what you are trying to separate.  You can apply for a work permit from the labour office whilst you are here, which every spouse of a Mauritian now has to if they were employed after 8th March. I could go on, but I stand by what I said. Get a business Visa, or show your marriage papers on entry.

You have the 'right' to live here as a spouse only if your spouse resident permit is approved by the relevant authorities. Again this is subject to an approval by the Prime Minister's office who now has been conferred with even greater powers.

You can apply for a work permit as a spouse of a Mauritian citizen if you have a clean immigration record which is not the case here as described by Marko in a previous post. The guy can't even enter Mauritius with a tourist visa. So how can he possibly come here to apply for a work permit? On what ground will he get a business visa when he can't even visit as a tourist? Maybe you should read what I have written again carefully.

If you are not married to a Mauritian citizen, then what I stated above stands true. You have to be outside the country while your Work Permit is being processed.

@Winston. The PM can indeed decide to make one a prohibited person. Notwithstanding that, even if you are on a tourist Visa, you can stay as soon as you make your marriage resident permit application, even if the tourist one expires. However I don't think either of us is qualified to give solid advice without knowing all the facts. Have a lovely week.

You cannot if you have committed a previous visa violation. It means you are blacklisted and you have to file an application to the PMO in the hope of being granted a waiver.

I was talking in the context of Marko since the beginning and you are consistently missing that part. These are the facts.

@ In all honesty, I really don't care mate. Cheers.

Sablo wrote:

@Winston. The PM can indeed decide to make one a prohibited person. Notwithstanding that, even if you are on a tourist Visa, you can stay as soon as you make your marriage resident permit application, even if the tourist one expires. However I don't think either of us is qualified to give solid advice without knowing all the facts. Have a lovely week.

@Sablo, thank you and I appreciate your insight. Funny enough, everything you have stated is in cognizance with the latest information I just received from PIO and PMO.

WinstonH wrote:

Sablo wrote:

@Winston. You are very wrong on many counts. Too many for me to outline. But for example, having read all the immigration law here, one HAS the right to reside here if one is lawfully married to a Mauritian Citizen. One does not have the right to citizenship though, unless one has lived with said spouse under the same conjugal roof for 4 years or more. You are confusing the issue by mixing up what you are trying to separate.  You can apply for a work permit from the labour office whilst you are here, which every spouse of a Mauritian now has to if they were employed after 8th March. I could go on, but I stand by what I said. Get a business Visa, or show your marriage papers on entry.

You have the 'right' to live here as a spouse only if your spouse resident permit is approved by the relevant authorities. Again this is subject to an approval by the Prime Minister's office who now has been conferred with even greater powers.

You can apply for a work permit as a spouse of a Mauritian citizen if you have a clean immigration record which is not the case here as described by Marko in a previous post. The guy can't even enter Mauritius with a tourist visa. So how can he possibly come here to apply for a work permit? On what ground will he get a business visa when he can't even visit as a tourist? Maybe you should read what I have written again carefully.

If you are not married to a Mauritian citizen, then what I stated above stands true. You have to be outside the country while your Work Permit is being processed.

@WinstonH,

I understand your passion in always trying to make meaning inputs and contributions in this forum, however, I feel you make it a bit too personal atimes even in some other posts that I have read.

You rightly stated some facts and missed out on some. Generally speaking, I believe most people make a post here to get solutions and suggestions rather than always being outrightly condemned. There's always a difference between being realistic and judging people unnecessarily.

Thank you guys

@Marko:

I was not judging you. Everything I put forward was solely based on the information you provided on another discussion. Nothing more, nothing less.

Making everything seems easy and straight forward is not the way to do things I fear.
Anyway, I wish you luck in your endeavour.

@Winston "sigh"

I 'm British, married to a Mauritian I got my residence permit a few years ago now with no problems. took about 2 months from submitting the form and documents to receiving residence.

Before we bought our own place in Mauritius we used to come a  couple times a year and I had no idea about residents permits until the Immigration lady at the airport suggested it to me. So I did it.

Hello all!

This is by far the clearest information I have read on this very confusing topic. Thanks for that!

I just want to confirm some information and ask for some additional please. My partner is planning to come to Mauritius from Australia and works in project management/sustainability.

1. Once married, a residence permit must be obtained before being able to apply for a work permit. If as you all said, it takes about 6 months to obtain the residence permit, my partner (then husband) would not be able to work while waiting for the residence permit. am i correct?

2. a work permit has to be applied by the employer only when a job is obtained?

3. anyone knows how long a work permit would take?

4. re the documentation required for a marriage (e.g. police clearance), if my partner has a dual citizenship (Italy/Australia) does he need clearance from both countries (he moved only 8 years ago to Australia) or does a country prevail?

5. If he is coming on a tourist visa, declares his intention to marry and then does not would that be problem? or if he does not declare and then goes through the application process to get married would not declaring be an issue?

6. Does anybody know if a Certificate of Relationship (de facto) from Victoria have any value in Mauritius?

7. Anybody knows of serious recruitment agencies specialised in project management/business development/sustainability consultancy?

Thanks heaps guys! This truly is a great forum 

Hi Daisy, I wonder if I could pick your brains on this? I’m also British , as is my wife, but she holds dual nationality and has Mauritian citizenship, a Mauritian passport and a Mauritian ID card. This is because both of her parents are born and bred Mauritian. In these circumstances, would I be eligible for residency, and then eventually citizenship?
I find this subject massively confusing, we’ve read up on it online and even visited the immigration office but keep getting told different things.
Thanks
Matt

Hi Matt,

My husband also has dual nationality and has Mauritian citizenship, a Mauritian passport and a Mauritian ID card. He and his parents were born and bred in Mauritius.

I see no reason why your application for residency shouldnt be successful and eventually after 4 years residence in Mauritius, citizenship.

I wish you luck!