Renewal of Self-sponsorship

@isabellabeccaceci Hi Isabella , I can understand your frustration especially since your permit is about to expire over this weekend , until you get a proper response i recommend these two actions

1. apply for resident permit renewal from the following link :   https://www.npra.gov.bh/en/service-request/
2. perhaps contact a government clearance office and explain your situation and hopefully you get proper guidance.

Thank you for your reply/advice.    However, I tried everything possible to no avail.    Even the call center 17077077 has no solution for me.   I   explained my problem and all he said is “I don't know”. 

I think the system in genera is not working!

Help!!!

By the way, I did approach a clearance office but told to go to apply personally!

…was told to apply personally

I just saw this.

By the way, as I have mentioned in the visa sticky, on the main page, a clearance office for a SS visa is absolutely useless.  For one, they don't know anything and secondly, this visa is meant to be applied for, by yourself.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=750635

Renewal for self sponsorship has been moved to the evisa site.  It wasn't announced or made clear and it is a bit of a trick to find the right form.  On top, when you do click renewal, it seems to give the option for 2 years only.  So what you have to do is to apply and then send a separate email to self sponsorship section to ask them to change the renewal period to 10 years.  No one will tell you all of this as they don't know.  I found this out after the whole route of Tawasul and so on..........by talking directly with the self sponsorship section.

Also, your email for self sponsorship is wrong.  That is why it didn't deliver.  It is s.s and not s-s.  The correct details are in the sticky link above.

Agent has applied Self Sponsorship on my behalf and its been 10 months now, he was emailing on my behalf asking for updates, agent stopped me not to email as they will get double minded and confused, need advice that can I email for updates to the self sponsorship dept. or let the agent deal with it. Do I have to register my case in tawasul?

@Othman Othman:  You should have never used an agent for this as it is not required.  Even SS section will tell you to apply yourself.   Are you sure that the agent applied?  did you get a file number?   if you did, then just to make sure that the agent is telling you the truth, email them.

@XTang

yes i have the application number, it shows in the system in process i check everyday, i was new and i didn't know the procedure and the property i purchased the agent was helping in everything from the beginning, the property marketing dept introduced to me this agent. All the owners were handled by him. Still i should email and check?

Yes. There is no harm in checking. They get hundreds of emails and don't bother remembering who is who.

@XTang

what is the best time to email…

@XTang

[email protected]

just to confirm the email

My sponsor make me runaway nd also she's not give my passport i want to transfer for my visa

@XTang

i just have to mention my application number in email and request for status…

Obviously

@XTang

I emailed early morning today but no response yet...

[email protected]

is this the right email

Yes it is

@XTang

they answered my email by mentioning  ”Still Sir” its about to be 10 months…

You can do nothing else.

@XTang

can i email mentioning about being 10 months and still in process… can i ask them the reason of delay?

Yes

@XTang

i asked they said there is no time limit and they are waiting for the ministry for approval…

Yep that is the standard response.  And that is why I said that you can do nothing except follow up and wait.

@XTang

Do you think this follow up will keep reminding them to follow up with the ministry or else…

Can't hurt to follow up. But don't have expectations.

@XTang

so it means there is nothing  we can do about it? can i hire a lawyer for it?

No. Short of knowing a royal or a senior person in government, like a minister, there is nothing you can do to influence the outcome.

@XTang

Dear sir,

Sorry for that but still we didn't get the approval from Ministry of Interior .

These are the exact words… what does that mean why ministry of interior is taking so much time, what can be the exact reason behind, are they planning to give me golden residency or passport… any idea

As I keep telling you, NO ONE can tell you why it is delayed and when it will be done.  Also, you are overthinking it - they are definitely not going to give you a passport when they are delaying your renewal for so long (And they don't hand out passports just because you bought a property - it is not a big deal as there are thousands of people who have invested more than you. If they handed out passports, everyone like that would have one).  Now you are just grasping at straws and trying to make sense of a situation................it is a waste of time as none of it is in your control.   

@XTang

That means we are all assuming things nothing is authentic here...

I am not sure what is it that you are not understanding.  First of all, I suggest you keep emotions out of it and refrain from sarcastic remarks which have no basis in logic.  On top, this comment comes across as completely disrespectful when you are the one asking for advice from someone who is responding to you as a favor.

Let me explain to you why your sarcastic comment re: "assumptions and not authentic" using logic, does not make sense at all:

1) NO IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT anywhere in the world will tell you why the visa is delayed.  They will tell you exactly what the SS section already told you (i.e. waiting for approval.  I had a US visa delay for a year and kept getting this same answer from them).   I don't work in immigration and can only "assume" as to the reasons of the delay based on past history of cases that I have come across.  If you want to know AUTHENTIC (as you call it), go and ask the SS section.......then get the same answer.........and then ask me.........get the same answer.......and then again post your emotional sarcastic remark of "we are assuming, nothing authentic".  "Authentic" is the response from the self sponsorship section, you don't get the answer from them and then you are asking unrelated people to ASSUME why.  You see the silliness in your comment?

2) Now to the second part, you are NOT getting a passport.  They don't hand those out like candy.  On top, they won't don't delay visa processes to hand those out.  And EVEN if they do, they would rather delay a golden visa property visa (200K investment) vs. a SS property visa (50K investment).................what I am trying to say is that you are not special because you have invested 50-100K in Bahrain.  There are people who have invested millions and don't have passports here.   And, if you were getting a passport, it is because you are a person of importance to the decision makers........and wouldn't be struggling in this self sponsorship visa process to begin with.  A friend of mine, on a normal work visa, a senior person, was called recently and offered a passport - he didn't own property nor had applied for the passport.........this is how they give passports to people who they want to give passports to.  Get the logic?

So for the last time, let me make it clear for you in the hope that you end up getting it:

1) The SS visa is genuine. Many people, including me, have it.   I am a dual national but applied on my Pakistan passport.  For me, as well as many other friends, it took between 2-3 months after application.  So there is no blockage for Pakistan nationals

2) The delay is for YOUR specific case and there is NO way that they will tell you the exact reason as immigration will never disclose national security matters to anyone

3) MOI approval means that security clearance has passed.  The fact that there isn't an approval means that security clearance has NOT passed yet.  They contact many agencies during this process if there is any doubt e.g. your home country law enforcement and if that happens, waiting time of months or even years is common

4) You can do nothing except wait.  You have NO legal avenues.  If you read through the different laws, possessing a property is NO guarantee of getting a self sponsorship visa.............it just means you are eligible for a visa which is granted at the SOLE DISCRETION OF IMMIGRATION.  This simply means that if they don't want to give you a visa, FOR WHATEVER REASON, you can do absolutely nothing

@Othman Othman

You are out of line with  your responses claiming nothing 'authentic ' and its all "assumptions"

this is a forum and not a ministry / government section for information that being said  there is a wealth of information  here with experiences of other who have went through the same process And members  like xtang who go above and beyond with threads explaining  the process and replying to everyone  even with most people asking redundant  questions without even reading.

sure some level of assumptions is needed especially  when  you receive ambiguous information  but there is a huge difference between an educated assumption than the ridiculous assumptions you have been stating which is frankly quite ridiculous as again outlined by xtang.

i understand the lack of progress and clarity is frustrating and honestly as someone who hopes to apply for ss visa soon i am shocked that it can take 10 months for approval.

talking in such a brazen way doesn't help your cause and in the end you frustrations are with the ministry not the people in forums taking time of their day to offer you their perspective and  insight.   

i hope it works out for you and  when it does be sure to update the thread so others like yourself can benifit from the information.

@GuestPoster370

Hi Othman,

Did you get any response about renewal of your self sponsor visa, Please be informed that when I applied first time they approved for 2 years after almost 8 months. 2nd time I applied for the renewal. They approved for 10 years and took about 6 months.

Send me email or contact me if you need any further clarification.

.

I have been in contact with authorities via email and provided requested documents last week.  I am now waiting for their action.    Hopefully soon because I need to travel.    Apparently, one cannot leave the country if residence permit expired.  I already missed my daughter's birthday as a result😔It used to be much easier in the past, when one could interact in person.    Technology,  automation have their pros and cons. In this particular case I find it an obstacle and very disappointing.

Thanks for your inquiry.

ok good luck and thank you for the update. please do let us know when you hear from them for everyone's benifit.

Good Morning

Wish to know time period for obtaining self sponsorship visa for investing minimum 100000 BHD in property and for how many years in the first application

If any one can  advise

Thankyou