Employment in The Bahamas

The Bahamas is a small developing country and Government regulations ensure that employment may only be offered to non-Bahamians in posts for which there are no suitably qualified Bahamians. In order to obtain employment as a non-Bahamian the following criteria must be met.

(a) An employer who has a vacant post is required to advertise the post locally. If he is unsuccessful in filling the post locally he may apply to the Immigration Board for permission to recruit outside the country, he must also obtain a certificate from the Ministry of Justice and Immigration indicating that a Bahamian is not available to fill the position.

(b) When the prospective expatriate employee has been contacted, the employer must apply for a permit which is issued by the Immigration Board. An application will not be entertained if the prospective employee was already in The Bahamas, having entered as a visitor. Permits are issued for specific posts and the renewal of a permit is not automatic. Each will be considered on its merits.

(c) Employers may apply for permits for longer periods than one year in respect of certain key personnel on contract. Such contracts should indicate that their renewal would be subject to obtaining the applicant’s replacement within a stipulated period. (d) Fees of varying amounts up to $7,500 (for senior managerial and professional people) are charged if a permit is granted. The same amount is payable upon renewal of the permit annually. If approval is granted the employer will be asked to enter into a bond equivalent to the cost of repatriating the employee.

Persons are recruited to work in The Bahamas depending upon their skills and whether or not those skills can be obtained locally or in sufficient numbers. Country-wide immigration restrictions make it imperative that Bahamians are given preference for available jobs.

The Bahamas Government periodically recruits persons from abroad in the fields listed below. If an expatriate is recruited by the Government he/she will not need a work permit.

There is no agency in The Bahamas which has a list of job opportunities. We suggest that you advertise in the Classified Section of one of our daily newspapers:

Freeport News The Tribune The Nassau Guardian P.O. Box F-40007 P.O. Box N-3207 P.O. Box N-3011 Freeport Grand Bahama Nassau, The Bahamas Nassau, The Bahamas
2 /Employment
The Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-1986 Tel: (242) 323-5654 Tel: (242) 352-8321 Fax: (242) 328-2398 Fax: (242) 352-8324

Qualified persons interested in employment with the Government of The Bahamas should write to the respective Ministry/Department as follows:

Ministry of Health Nurses, Doctors and P.O. Box N-3730 Kindred Services Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-7425 Fax: (242) 322-7788

Ministry of Education Educational Pursuits: P.O. Box N-3913 Teachers in all fields Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-8140 Fax: (242) 322-8491

The Legal Department Legal (Judicial) Services P.O. Box N-3007 Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-1141

Ministry of Public Works Public Works – all trades relative thereto P.O. Box N-8156 and Water Supplies Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 322-4831 Fax: (242) 326-7344

Bahamas Telecommunications Corp. Radio and Telephone Technicians P.O. Box N-3048 Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 323-4911 Fax: (242) 356-3837

Department of Labour Administrative, Clerical and Financial P.O. Box N-3915 Nassau, The Bahamas Tel: (242) 325-6511

 

 

 

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