American expat Mark has been living in the tiny but utterly beautiful British Virgin Islands with his wife for the past four years. Here he shares information on things like how he got a job there, applying for residency, and the cost of living. Mark also discusses the continuation of their Caribbean expat adventure with their upcoming move to Culebra, Puerto Rico.	Mark Hayward

-Where were you born?
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

-In which country and city are you living now?
Tortola, British Virgin Islands (BVI) but I am transitioning to Culebra, Puerto Rico.

-Are you living alone or with your family?
With my wife and three dogs.

-How long have you been living in the British Virgin Islands?
Four and a half years.

-What is your age?
39

-When did you come up with the idea of living in British Virgin Islands?
I decided to live in the British Virgin Islands after we came for a visit in 1995. My wife and I would always say that, “one day we are going to live in the BVI.” So, after two and half years living in Papua New Guinea as a US Peace Corps volunteer, and four years living in American Samoa working for the government, I was finally offered a job with the BVI government.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
It is extremely difficult to get a work permit in the British Virgin Islands and it is getting harder all the time. When my wife and I originally moved to the BVI you could apply for residency after living here for five years and typically you would get an answer after seven years. However, immigration legislation and policy changed and now you must live here for TWENTY years before you can even apply to be a resident. The government has also instituted a quota whereby they will now only approve 25 people per year to become residents. The new immigration policy was a very large determining factor in our decision to pursue business and employment opportunities on the island of Culebra. Because it is part of Puerto Rico, and therefore a US Territory, we can live, work, and own a business on Culebra with no work permit or immigration issues.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No, it was included as part of my compensation for my job with the BVI Government and fortuitously they use a company in Puerto Rico. When we are finally finished moving to Culebra I will try to extend my insurance coverage, which means paying out of pocket.

-How do you make your living in the British Virgin Islands? Do you have any type of income generated?
Currently, I work for the British Virgin Islands Government as the Geographic Information Systems Officer with the Conservation and Fisheries Department. I got the job through a tremendous amount of networking and meeting the people who work here. When a job opportunity arose because I had made contact and the people hiring knew my qualifications, I was in a good position to be offered a job.

In Culebra we will be running our own small business, the Palmetto Guesthouse, which will be a fantastic place for people to stay who are looking for hotel accommodation on this magnificent island.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language? Please add your thoughts on local customs and whether it's important for expats to respect/observe local customs.
The people from the BVI speak English so language is not a problem. However, on Culebra they speak Spanish. Fortunately, my wife is fluent in Spanish and I am going to make a very strong effort to learn the language. As for part two of the question, it is always important for any expat or traveler to respect and observe local customs even if you speak the same language.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
I do not like the cold so I don’t really miss home in that sense. It can be difficult at times when family members get sick or something important is happening and you cannot be there. The flipside is we have plenty of friends and family who like to come visit because we are in the Caribbean.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
In the very near future we will be living on Culebra, which a small US island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. As stated above, we just purchased a small Bed and Breakfast there called the Palmetto Guesthouse.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
Here in Tortola we rented for the whole time we were here. Because of the large offshore banking industry in the BVI rents are very high. One-bedroom apartments can start from $1000 - $2000 and if you want to rent an actual house I would think the rent would start at $3000 and go up to the ridiculous $10,000 a month.

-What is the cost of living in the British Virgin Islands?
Because everything is imported all goods are expensive. For example, I once had to pay $8.00 for dental floss.

-What do you think about the locals?
Because I work in an office that is predominantly made up of people from the British Virgin Islands (i.e. locals) I have had a much different experience here than most people who work in the finance industry. Locals in the BVI truly love their country and treat expats with respect. However, sometimes people from the BVI express strong feelings that because they are such a small country (which is true) the government at some point will have to place a limit on the number of people who are coming to live and work here (see above regarding the new twenty-year immigration policy).

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in the British Virgin Islands?
The BVI is a very safe place to live, you are surrounded by the ocean, and you get to meet a lot of people from all over the world. The downside to living here is that it can be very expensive, it is very hard to start your own business if you are not from here, the work permit process can be very nerve wracking and stressful, and you can’t apply for residency unless you have lived here for twenty years.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in the British Virgin Islands?
For anyone interested in living overseas do your homework and research on the country you would like go to, don’t just up and move there (it’s illegal in some countries anyway), and always treat locals with respect.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about the Caribbean?
Some of my favorite sites are the Palmetto Guesthouse, Culebra Blog (tourist information for Culebra, Puerto Rico), and my very own site focused on living and working overseas: My Tropical Escape.