Bahamian Man Loses Bid To Adopt Jamaican Stepdaughter

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A Bahamian man lost his bid to adopt his Jamaican wife’s teenage daughter after a judge ruled the application was an attempt to circumvent immigration laws.

The stepfather married the then-11-year-old girl’s mother in 2015.

He applied to adopt his stepdaughter in 2021, eight months shy of her 17th birthday. She was almost 18 by the time the application was completed.

The stepdaughter, whose biological father is also Jamaican, turned 18 on October 15, 2022. Her permit to reside in the country expired on November 27, 2022.

In her judgment delivered last week, Justice Diane Stewart said, “It is unfortunate that the application for adoption was only heard months before the child’s 18th birthday. It would appear to me, that under these circumstances, the purpose of making the application was to circumvent The Bahamas’ immigration laws.

“The child reached the age of majority on October 15, 2022. It is evident that the adoption was not needed to safeguard the child’s best interest. It appears that the only reason for making the application was to pass citizenship to the minor child.”

Justice Stewart dismissed the application to adopt the child, who recently became an adult.

The court said the stepdaughter could still apply to regulate her immigration status in the country.