St Helena

St Helena self-employed work and long-term entry permits

Self-employment under the issued work permit and separate long-term entry permission; extension is possible subject to the published conditions.

Who qualifies

• Submit the work-permit application to the Immigration Control Board, which considers local labour conditions, relevant skills, the points system and public interest.
  St Helena Government: Work Permits
• Hold or apply at the same time for a Long Term Entry Permit; the work permit alone does not grant entry.
  St Helena Government: Work Permits
• A 2026 amendment would replace these permits with a unified permission, but the Government says it requires a later commencement order; check which procedure is operative when filing.
  St Helena Government: 2026 amendment awaiting commencement order

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Citizens by 2033.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

1. 2027
   First residence permit

   5 years, renewable for 5 years at a time.

2. 2032
   Apply for citizenship

   With a language test.

3. 2033
   Citizenship

Language

English sufficient to meet the British Overseas Territories citizenship requirement.

Time away

The British Nationality Act option is naturalisation as a British Overseas Territories citizen: be present in the territory 5 years before filing, spend no more than 450 days away in those 5 years and 90 in the final year, and be free of any time limit on stay for the final 12 months. A new BOTC connected with a qualifying territory can then register as a British citizen.

Two passports

Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

• The work permit sits alongside a long-term entry permit of up to 5 years; lawful residence can build the 5-year BOTC naturalisation period, subject to unrestricted status for the final year.
• How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.