Every year, students from overseas come to our island to pursue their studies in various fields. Most of these students will attend tertiary institutions, though a few will go to primary and secondary schools across the island. As the new school year approaches, persons will be busy with the various preparations and arrangements that have to be made before school begins. In the same way, students wishing to study in Jamaica will need to ensure that all their arrangements are finalised and that they fulfil certain requirements. These requirements will depend on whether they are Commonwealth or non-Commonwealth citizens.

Persons from non-Commonwealth countries must ensure that they have:

A valid passport (for the duration of studies).

A valid entry visa (visa should be obtained at a Jamaican consulate or embassy prior to the student's arrival in the island).

An original letter of acceptance from a locally accredited academic institution granting admission.

A return ticket valid for one year.

In addition to the above, students over 16 years old, who will be in Jamaica for more than six months, must register as an alien after their arrival in the island. Registration is done at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), 25C Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10. This process requires the submission of two passport-size photographs or three photographs for persons residing outside of Kingston and St Andrew. A registration fee of $2,000 is applicable.

For Commonwealth citizens the requirements are, forthe most part, similar. They will need:

A valid passport (for the duration of studies).

An original letter of acceptance from a locally accredited academic institution granting admission.

A return ticket valid for one year.

You will note, however, that no visa is required for students from Commonwealth countries, save for a few exceptions: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, British Virgin Islands and The Cayman Islands.

Please note that endorsements will be granted to students attending tertiary institutions that are accredited by the University Council of Jamaica or primary and secondary schools that have been accredited by the Ministry of Education.

Now that you know what is required, let's look at the procedure at the ports of entry and at the Immigration Office:

At the airport, students from both non-Commonwealth and Commonwealth nations will be landed at the port of entry for a short period of time, subject to satisfying the landing requirements mentioned above. These passengers would then be advised to visit the Immigration Office to formalise their stay on the island in order to pursue their studies. This is done at the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, 25C Constant Spring Road, Kingston 10.

Upon visiting the Extensionof Stay Unit, the following forms must be completed:

Application for extension of stay

Application for re-entry visa (where applicable)

Alien Registration Card (where applicable)

Processing time for student endorsements is a maximum of five business days. While no fee is attached to issuance of endorsements at this time, visas do attract a fee, which varies according to nationality.

Institutions submitting applications on behalf of their students:

In some instances, an institution may wish to make life more convenient for its foreign students and will undertake the immigration process on their behalf. In this case, the institution will prepare a master list with the names of all enrolled foreign students and submit this along with their passports or travel documents. Passports are endorsed and returned in said manner with the notation 'student'. Students may be required to appear in person for an interview in special cases.

The PICA Corner

Welcome to the second instalment of The PICA Corner where The Gleaner, in collaboration with the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency, will answer all your questions on immigration, citizenship and passports. Send your questions, comments and suggestions to editor@gleanerjm.com and the PICA will respond.

Send your questions, comments and suggestions on everything related to passports, immigration and citizenship to editor@gleanerjm.com and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) will respond.