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Family Reunification Residence

São Tomé and PríncipeFamily

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Which family relationships qualify?

Qualifying family members of the resident are: the spouse; minor or incapacitated children dependent on the couple or on one of the spouses; minors adopted by the applicant (or the spouse) by decision of the competent authority of the country of origin, where that country's law gives adopted children rights identical to natural filiation and the decision is recognised by São Tomé and Príncipe; first-degree direct-line ascendants of the resident or the spouse who are dependent on them; and minor siblings under the resident's guardianship by a recognised decision of the country of origin. Reunification may also be authorised with a de facto partner, and with that partner's minor or incapacitated children, including adopted children, legally entrusted to them.

See recorded sources

Who may sponsor or bring the family member, and what immigration/citizenship status must that person hold?

The sponsor is a foreign resident who has held a valid residence certificate for at least one year. That resident has the right to reunification with family members outside the country who lived with them in another country or who depend on them, whether the family ties arose before or after the resident's entry; the right also covers family members who entered the country legally.

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What is important for proving marriage, partnership, parentage, custody, dependency or another qualifying relationship?

A de facto partner must be in a stable, lasting and duly proven relationship with the resident. For a minor or incapacitated child of only one spouse, reunification requires that the other parent has given authorisation or that the child has been entrusted to that parent by the competent authority. Specific inquiries and checks may be carried out where there is a founded presumption of fraud or of a marriage, de facto union or adoption of convenience; a residence certificate issued under family reunification is cancelled when the marriage, de facto union or adoption had the sole purpose of allowing the person to enter and reside in the country. The official source does not list the documents that prove marriage, parentage or dependency.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The law does not list the documents (certificates, legalisation) that prove marriage, parentage or dependency.

What important financial, accommodation, insurance or maintenance responsibilities apply?

To exercise the family-reunification right the applicant (the resident) must have adequate accommodation and means of subsistence sufficient to meet the needs of the household. The official source does not state a minimum amount of means or a health-insurance requirement.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No minimum amount of means is stated.
  • No health-insurance requirement is stated in the family-reunification provisions.

How does the application work at a high level, what rights does the family member receive, how long does the status last, and how can it become independent or longer-term where officially stated?

Requests are decided exclusively by the Director of the Migration and Borders Service. When a request for family members abroad is approved, the decision is communicated through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the competent embassy or consular post, which issues a residence visa allowing entry. The family member holding that visa receives a renewable residence certificate of the same duration as the resident's; family members of a permanent resident receive a renewable certificate valid for two years (or of the resident's title duration if less than two years remain on it). The official source does not state work or study rights or an independent residence title.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The law does not state whether or when a family member can obtain an independent residence title.
  • Work or study rights of the family member are not stated in these provisions.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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