A Sri Lankan national charged with overstaying was remanded in custody after appearing in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Godfrey Fernando is accused of overstaying his permit to be in Jamaica by over a year.

It is reported that Fernando arrived in Jamaica in October 2012. He was allowed to stay in the country for 90 days, until January 2013.

Fernando requested and was granted an extension until November 2013. He subsequently applied for another extension but the application was denied by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA).

The 58-year-old man was instructed to depart Jamaica by PICA but remained in the island without any official status.

When he was arrested, Fernando told the authorities that his son is studying medicine at the University of the West Indies. "I wish to stay until December for my son's graduation," said Fernando.

The accused man's lawyer requested bail for him on the grounds that Fernando was staying in the island because of his son's studies.

The request for bail was denied.