Bringing a Spouse to the island....

[Slaol_121]

If accepted, I will be bringing a spouse to the island. Is there an organization for spouses that is affiliated with IUON or UMHS?

If so, could someone please provide me with the website or contact email for the organization?

Thanks! :)

[UMHS]

At this time, neither UMHS nor IUON have a spouses organization. As the number of students grows and more bring spouses to the island, one will be started. In the meantime, there is an island organization called the International Women's Association. They organize activities for women who are on St. Kitts with working husbands, student husbands and retired husbands. The activities include golf, bridge, yoga and aquarobics, among others. Sorry, fellas, there is not a similar organization for husbands that accompany their wives here!

The Universities have Student Government Associations that regularly plan activities from catamaran trips to parties and BBQs. Spouses are always welcome at those acitivities.

[Slaol_121]

Thank you for the response. Do you happen to know how many IUON students are married?

[nikeman]

I too am bringing my wife and also my daughter of 15 months to the island. I have been down there to visit and the school is state of the art and the appartments are very safe. I am confident that it will not be a problem having my family there. I have been in contact with someone attending the vet school on the island, he has a family of 4 and they are loving it and they havn't had any problems. I am dissapointed that I have to wait until May instead of Jan, but I think that it is good they are getting accredited first.

[emrbu8]

Does anyone know about Financial Aid for Canadians / US students for such a school? Also, how is licensing going to work here? Forgive me if these questions are just not answerable right now.... thanks.

[UMHS]

Slaol 121,
I would estimate that approximatley five IUON students are here with spouses. In addition, several faculty also have spouses living on island, my wife being one of them.

I do need to add one comment about spouses who come to St. Kitts. They will need to have a residence visa. This visa does not allow them to be employed during their stay. For this reason, students should not count on this income to support the family. Neither should the spouse count on a job to keep them occupied while their student spouse is studying. There are, however, enough recreational activities that spouses can keep themselves happily occupied without a job.

[UMHS]

EMRBU8,
I'm not an expert on financial aid and I don't want to give you false information. I'd suggest that you contact the Financial Aid Department in the New York Office. They should be able to answer any questions that you have regarding that area.

As for licensing, the process will be the same as any other reputable school in the Caribbean. Once the Accreditation Board has finished their review of the UMHS application and accredited the MD program, the Government will contact IMED and WHO for listing. Students will then be eligible for the USMLE licensing examinations and application for licensure in the U.S. Questions regarding specific requirements for licensure should be directed to the state/provincial licensing authority in the state/province where you wish to practice.

[Slaol_121]

EMRBU8,
Once the Accreditation Board has finished their review of the UMHS application and accredited the MD program, the Government will contact IMED and WHO for listing. Students will then be eligible for the USMLE licensing examinations and application for licensure in the U.S.

Is this expected to occur before the start of the May 2008 term?

[UMHS]

Yes, the application was submitted on October 2, 2007. The Accreditation Committee will mostly likely complete it's review before the end of the year. UMHS already has its charter and will have accreditation prior to its May semester.

[Slaol_121]

Yes, the application was submitted on October 2, 2007. The Accreditation Committee will mostly likely complete it's review before the end of the year. UMHS already has its charter and will have accreditation prior to its May semester.

Ok, cool. Another question:

If UMHS gets the needed accreditation from WHO and IMED, this means students can sit for the USMLE-3 - correct?

Let's say this happens, but (worst case scenario) the school is unable to work out any agreements with teaching hospitals for clinicals. What will happen then?

[UMHS]

The actual accreditation comes from the St. Kitts Accreditation Board and the Ministry of Education. WHO and IMED use that information to list the accredited medical schools. This, then, allows students in listed schools to take Parts 1 and 2 of the USMLE. Successfully passing these exams is required for graduation from UMHS. Following graduation, students complete a residency and take Part 3 of the USMLE.

If your worst case scenario happens, Dr. Ross should fire the lot of us and get himself some administrators who can do the job correctly! But it is highly unlikely that that could ever occur. Of the top four administrators of the University, all have had a significant part in the success of Ross University prior to the time Dr. Ross sold it. As I've mentioned elsewhere, Ross University had over 40 clinical sites back then. It seems inconceivable that these same administrators would not be able to reconstruct a successful Clinical Sciences program at UMHS! These administrators are already in the process of re-establishing some of those affiliations.

[nikokar2003]

did you found any more information how to and what papers your family is going to need in order to stay in the island

[UMHS]

I don't think that anyone asked what was needed for a family to stay in the Federation. Students who come to St. Kitts are required to apply for and receive a student visa. There are several medical tests (VDRL, HIV, Chest x-***, Mantoux) that are required. A report from police where the person has lived for the past 6 months has to be submitted. Of course, some documentation is also necessary: passport, birth certificate and passport-size photo. Spouses and children need a resident visa in order to remain on the island. To get this visa, they will need a passport, birth certificate and, in the case of the spouse, a marriage certificate. Students should not plan to bring a fiance or significant other to the island without getting a resident visa PRIOR to arrival. The Government is not inclined to give a resident visa to the unmarried partner.

[abuamani]

Slaol 121,
I would estimate that approximatley five IUON students are here with spouses. In addition, several faculty also have spouses living on island, my wife being one of them.

I do need to add one comment about spouses who come to St. Kitts. They will need to have a residence visa. This visa does not allow them to be employed during their stay. For this reason, students should not count on this income to support the family. Neither should the spouse count on a job to keep them occupied while their student spouse is studying. There are, however, enough recreational activities that spouses can keep themselves happily occupied without a job.

how does one get a residence visa and what will children from the US need to stay on St. kitts with parents/student?

[UMHS]

When a student registers at UMHS, the University collects the documents for the student, spouse and children. We will submit those to the proper government aurthority who willo evaluate the application and, if applicable, issue the student and resident visas.

Children need the same documents for visas that a spouse requires. Depending on the age of the child, they may also need additional documents inorder to attend Kittitian schools but this is a separate isse from the visa issue.

[lifeAgift]

So glad I joined this forum.

Lots of questions being answered, saves me a few redundant emails.

THANKS ALL