After six months of marriage, most newlyweds are still basking in martial bliss, but one Bahamian woman has yet to reunite with her Nigerian husband – as he cannot get into the country.
Theirs is not an isolated problem. Many Bahamian women have told he Tribune that it is a difficult and daunting task to get a visa for a foreign husband.
[Editor’s Note: These policies are in direct violation with the UN accord, signed by the Bahamas government, that prohibits the discrimination against women.]
The process of legalising men under such circumstances is very difficult, one immigration officer admitted yesterday.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous married her husband while visiting him in Lagos, Nigeria.
Upon return to New Providence, she immediately began making inquiries with government agencies to get his visa approved.
According to the woman, after more than six months of trying, she has made no progress and is at a loss about what to do next.
She said that she has repeatedly contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Immigration – all to no avail.
“Everything I know I’ve learned online, because when I go to the various government agencies, they give me conflicting information.
“As a Bahamian citizen you would think these people would try to assist you as opposed to making it difficult,” she said.
The couple has also-tried to gain entry to alternative countries, including Cuba and the UK, she said, but have not been successful yet.
“This situation is very frustrating. You can come here from the US on a driver’s licence, but a Nigerian has to have a visa.” she said. “Obviously, certain countries have certain privileges.
“It is harder for a Bahamian woman married to a foreigner to get her husband here than for a Bahamian man to bring his foreign wife into the country.
“We as a country need to raise awareness and look at the legislation that governs these things,” she said.
Calls made to Director of Immigration Vernon Burrows were not returned up to press time.
Source: The Tribune
