Do you want to report "Applying for citizenship through descent/ document help"
Hi all, I was looking for some information since I won't get a reply from the Jamaican embassy for a while... I am estranged from both parents, my father is Jamaican-born and my mother was born in Canada to Jamaican parents. My maternal grandfather has offered to help me apply for my citizenship through him, however I don't have my mother's birth certificate. And I can't apply for a copy unless she is deceased, as per Canadian laws. Are there other documents I can provide that could connect us? The story gets more inconvenient: my father was not listed on my birth certificate as my parent, but he was in my life up until a few years ago when I had to cut him off. It would be easiest to apply through him since I can order his documents from RGD, but I'm not sure if there are alternative documents I could present that would connect us otherwise. If anyone knows of a way I would greatly appreciate the help. I feel so defeated because my family is so dysfunctional and it shouldn't be this hard to reconnect to my heritage but I really want to try one last time before giving up completely. Open to different ways of applying as well. ​ TIA!!
Yeah it went well. To be fair he came back to the UK after a long absence and asked to see me so I met him for a dinner. Which went ok. First thing I have ever done in my life that was a planned time with me and him.
A couple years later, after not coming to my wedding, I got a letter through the door with my updated birth certificate. He had gone and signed it without me knowing. Was a very odd feeling after knowing it was blank for so many years.
When I asked for his passport and birth certificate to do my citizenship he and his wife said yes and wished me well with it (he has dementia now so it may have been more her than him).
Even if you could use your father your birth certificate would need to show he is your father.
Basically the birth certificates show the lineage and has to be in order and from the person your claiming descent all the way down to you.
You can also marry a Jamaican
I’m having a similar issue and I wonder if anyone in JA can help.
I’m applying through my grandad - but he’s passed away. He hardly spoke about his early life jamaica (not sure why but all of my older family are cagey about talking about details of life back home). So I don’t know where in Jamaica he was born.
How would I get his birth certificate? Is there a centralised system or do I have to go via the parish? (If I can figure out which one he was was born)
Yes you can locate his birth cert through the RDG and pay for a birth search (this is what I did for my father, since you need a birth entry # to apply for a copy anyway). https://www.rgd.gov.jm/index.php/application-forms
I learned about it from this youtube video: https://youtu.be/ec8rBflJRdM
Good luck!
Hey! So I went through my citizenship process now. I’m based in Canada.
It is a tough situation, but I’m not familiar with the law where you can only apply if she’s deceased. Would your maternal grandfather be able to apply for it as a parent? You need the long form birth certificate
I called the Service Ontario office and that’s what they said. My grandfather lives in Jamaica now, so hopefully he can still get a copy since he was a Canadian when my mom was born. Only downside is applying for a replacement cancels any currently active birth cert (he’s estranged from my mom too–my family is insane). Thanks for your input!
