禁漫天堂

Hello MariaLovesJesus,

I'm Maximilien and part of the 禁漫天堂 Team

Really appreciate your post and thank you very much for the sharing your experiences here on the Forum

We got a very good deal!
We're buying 2 small condos (1 bed each,kitchen,living room and bathroom).They both have a terrace with a beautiful view (mountain and ocean).
We also bought 2 parking spaces!
Roatan is the place we really want!
I remember when I first saw it on House Hunters International and I was sad thinking that we would never be able to buy a house or a condo there!
I'm a Christian and I pray about everything!
For the time being this is the right place for us!
I don't know about the future because we have already moved before when we came to Canada and even here, we have lived in different cities!
Like I said, I take everything before God in prayer!
To me is important to be in God's will!
We'll be moving before the condos are finished so that the lawyer there can send our documents to Tegucicalpa.
The developer has offered us his own house for us to stay there but since they also have a hotel we will stay in a bungalow.
For those who are going through this process, I want to share this:
When I called the Public Notary he told me that I would have to take to his office with me the people who were supposed to sign the documents to be notarized.
I asked him:How can I take the Government and the bank with me?
He didn't know (this is a famous lawyer).
Then I was able to get the right information.
You don't take those organizations or someone representing them with you.
You just take your own ID to the Public Notary with the documents and they will declare that you are the person whom they are adressing in those documents!
Then you still need to take them to the Foreign Affairs Office.They also call it Ministry of Government Services and ODS ( Official Documents Services). It's the same place.Just remember to take your ID.
Only the person whose name shows up in those documents can go there in person!
The only documents to be taken there are those proving that you can support yourself  (the letter from the Government about your Pension and OAS, a letter from any other entity who pays you some type of compensation for life or pension and the letter from the bank, declaring that you have given them permission to transfer your pensions to a bank in Honduras).

The office of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa says that after they get our documents by mail, they will send it back  to us in 2 weeks but that we must count extra 5 days for the mail to arrive.
They also can notarize as much as 10 documents while you wait.
In Toronto their offices is at 222, Jarvis St. and Dundas (you can walk from the Dundas subway).
About the letter from the bank: I told the Embassy that I wanted for the letter from the bank to mention that I was ONLY giving them permission to do so after being approved by the government in Tegucicalpa.
Then Mr. Juan Pablo sent me this:(I will paste it)

About point 9 and 10 in my previous email: Yes, we need the authentication by a Notary and after that by Ministry of Government Services.

About N.9, we just require a letter proving that you are asked to the bank the transfer service. The letter from the bank could say something like: 聯We received a request from ...... for make a monthly payment to a bank in Honduras聟. The request will be process once Mr. .......receives the residence status in Honduras聰.

  Is /!\ I AM A STUPID SPAMMER /!\ that, after you finish the process with us, you must present your documents in the 聯Direcci贸n General de Migraci贸n y Extranjer铆a (DGME)聰 in Tegucigalpa. DGME is the institution that, in the end, will approve your request. Also, here is the place where you will receive your resident card.

P.S: This is a note from me (Maria)
        Remember that ODA, Foreigh Affairs an Ministry of Government Services it's all about the same place:
        where you take those documents proving that you can support yourself and the letter from the bank 
         after being Notarized in order to be authenticated.

May the Lord bless you all!

To those who were born in a different country from the one where you live:

Nowadays is very easy to get a Birth Certificate or a Marriage Certificate through the internet.
I was born in Portugal and when I called the Portuguese Consulate in Toronto, no one would return my calls even though we need an appointment to ask for those documents.

Then I called the Embassy of Portugal in Ottawa.
While I was talking to the lady on the phone, she asked me about our names.
She "tapped' into the聽 Portuguese Government computer in Portugal and in few seconds she was telling me everything about my life!-Even where my son was born!

Then I asked聽 her to hold the documents there until April 14th so that all documents聽 would have the same date (more or less). I sent them a Money order for $86.55 with my mail adress.

Also: as part of an International Agreement, they gave me those documents in Spanish (and I saved $90.00 in translation).

My advice to you is to contact the聽 Embassy of your native country rather than the Consulate in your own city.

Take care.
Maria

About the fingerprinting:
They told me (the office where they do that work) that after they fingerprint us they will send the documents to the Police (RCMP in Canada).
Then it will take the RCMP from 1 to 4 weeks to send us the letter.
We have to pay $70.00 for each person.

Sometimes the hardest part is to coordinate the dates of every document.
I want for聽 the Government in Tegucicalpa to get them before the 6 months period.

By the way: I asked my lawyer if in case someone would ask me about her if I could post her name and email adress and she said yes.

I know I'm giving a lot of detail but I had promised the Lord that if I ever would get this information I would share it with others.
In my case it was very disappointing not having anyone willing to help me!

Important:

As a couple you have to be able to transfer $1.500.00 US/month to Honduras in order to get the Pensionado Residence. You also must own your place of residency.

Hi!

Congratulations on your imminent move and welcome to the island. By the way, you are doing it the hard way. I refer all my clients applying for residency to the attorney in Honduras who actually wrote the Immigration Act and who ran that ministry. He gives people the correct advice as to what kind of residency to apply for and handles the whole process for you. It is really simple that way. My clients all receive the correct residency in 90-120 days.

Hello,
In fact I'm doing it the right way!
I know what the right residence is for me!
Like i said, even though we would qualify for the Investor's residence, we would have to leave the country every
few months.
This way we don't have to.
The right way is not to take off and then start the process there!
The information given by the Embassy of Honduras is correct!
When I came to Canada I came the right way and now I'll go the right way too!
I'm very mindful of the law!

Maria

I am sure you are mindful Maria. And I know it can be done on your own. I have seen hundreds of people go through the process over the years and it is just far easier the way I suggested. You are not correct about having to leave the country with a. investor residency though. This is why I suggested the right attorney would make it easier and more accurate.

My developer has an Investor residence and he tells me that sometimes they are able to 'fix it" at the airport in
order not to leave the country but that is not the right way!
It has nothing to do with the lawyer!
It has all to do with the law of the land!
I prefer to go through this process now and to have peace later!
The process is not hard but in our case we had to delay it because the raining season left them a little bit behind schedule.
Also: the Police report is only valid for 6 months.

Like I said, when we came to Canada, we went to the Embassy of Canada in Lisbon and we applied there.
They said no, so we didn't come.
The following year we tried again and they said yes, so we came.
Let me tell you about 2 of my husband's nephews who came to Canada illegally last year.
One is graduated from University and a professional singer.The other one worked in construction
The last one went to visit his children and when he came back he was interviewed at the airport.
They checked his cellphone and they found pictures of him working here before.They also read his messages.
He was put in jail for a month and then expelled from the country.
The other one has no respect for the law whatsoever.
He reads the news on television, works in radio and the newspapers are always publishing announcements about his shows.
Last year he met a girl, she joined him here, after a month she got pregnant and now they have a baby.
They are now working with a lawyer to become legal but I truly believe that the pregnancy was part of the strategy
to give them more favor with the immigration.At least they got married recently.
Recently I had to ask God to restrain me not to report him because he was being so cocky and telling me that the government of Canada has nothing on him and they can't touch him!
Really?-When he is working here illegally?
I like to do things the right way!-I don't like to put the carriage ahead of the horses!
First things first!
If you contact the Honduran Government or any other Government, this is the way they want things done: you initiate the process of asking for residence in another country in the place where you live.
This has nothing to do with having a good lawyer!-It has to do with obeying the law!
I too have a lawyer there who is an expert in immigration and I'm paying $2.200.00 to have the process finalized there in Tegucicalpa but only after聽 I get the approval from the Embassy of Honduras in Montreal.
your

I have a question for the expats living in Honduras:
Is there anyone living there who went through this process?
The embassy want for the letter from the Government (about the Pension) and for the letter from the bank (declaring that we gave permission for them to transfer funds to a bank in Roatan monthly) to be notarized by a Public Notary and then authenticated by the Foreign Affairs's office.

The Public Notaries and the lawyers I spoke too don't even know how to do it.
They can only notarize something if they see the person signing the documents in their presence.

The bank tells me that what they need to do is to declare that my husband is the person they are referring to in those documents.

The Public notaries make me feel like if I'm asking them to do something illegal!

I contacted the聽 Embassy again and I'm waiting for their answer.
I already mentioned this before!

Honestly, in moments like this I too feel like just taking off!

Ed, tell the lawyer who wrote these requirements that this one, about notarizing a letter from the Government, is not easy!

IslandEd, what is the name/contact info of the attorney you know who will help with immigration?

Hi,

Be careful as there are over 80 lawyers in Roatan and almost of them will tell you they can get your residency right away. That is absolutely not true. Many are devious and will scam you. The most knowledgeable lawyer is Jose Oswaldo Guillen in Tegucigalpa (joseoswaldoguillen@yahoo.com). He is by far the best in the country. Let him know I referred you. However he is often hard to get hold of. Try him first. Here are several others I have heard good things about regarding residency:

Keena Haylock - klhaylock@gmail.com
Cristiana Carbajal - cristianacarbajal@hotmail.com
Cesar Gonzalez Sr. - roatanlawyers@gmail.com

They will tell you exactly what you need and help you with the process. Good luck!

Thank you so much for your prompt reply!
I am currently enrolled in college studying ASL and Spanish with the intent of moving to Roatan to help deaf kids learn to read.
I've heard there is a good work going on in Sandy Bay.
Can you speak to that?
Gratefully,
Grace

Do you mean good work with the deaf or something else? I am not sure either way, however.

Good work in general. 鉂わ笍锔� There is a ministry there for orphaned kids. Perhaps by the time I'm finished with my schooling there will be a need for someone who can help a deaf child.

I visited Roatan in 2014 and had the strong feeling I would be back in an educational capacity. I am now working toward that goal. 馃憤

Wonderful! We would welcome you. We have very strong ties and support programs for the island through the Rotary Club of Roatan. Next time you are on the island come to a meeting and meet Dr. Parchment. He could give you direction.

Thank you for the welcome, Ed. I truly appreciate it. I will be a "stranger in a strange land" and it's good to know there will be friends there.

Thank you also for the lead on Dr. Parchment. I saw a video of the Rotary Club providing water filters to people of Roatan. Wow! What an outreach that was!

Grace 馃榾

That is a small thing for us. We have brought in nearly $10M in medical equipment and supplies, have 20 scholarships out there, are providing sanitary facilities to 55 public schools on the island, created and ran an English language program for teachers, built playgrounds, worked with another Rotary in Canada to provide $1.5M in works to a remote part of the island and yesterday got approved $176,000 for the same area to improve the village and much much more.

That's awesome!
There are 55 public schools on the island?? I had no idea!

That's awesome!
There are 55 public schools on the island?? I had no idea!

Yup, plus private schools.