Immigration reveals key statistics

| 24/11/2011

aDSC_3385 (261x300).jpg(CNS):  One hundred and sixty- four people have been approved as key employees this year, while 96 have been turned down, according to the latest figures published by the immigration department in an effort to be as transparent as possible. Despite remaining the largest group of workers, only 18% of workers designated key are Jamaican, with the largest group of key employees being British at 20% and more than half of all key employee are in professional or management jobs. There were 19,691 work permit holders in Cayman in September, only slightly higher than the 19,058 foreign workers on island before Hurricane Ivan seven years earlier.

The report also says that there are currently 1,176 people waiting permanent residency applications or an appeal and that the department collected over $70 million in revenue.

The Immigration Department has published the first of what will be on-going detailed statistical reports about its complex work, heralding a new era of transparency in anticipation of its significant FOI requests, the department has said.

The report reveals an array of statistics and data, including the 7,357 annual work permit applications processed so far this year and another 8,398 temporary ones. It also shows that there are 911 non-Caymanians working for government and that while well over 7,199 Jamaicans still make up the largest group of permit holders, at 2572 workers from the Philippines are the second largest group and the British the third with 1,719 permit holders.

The 53-page report gives statistics on border control and visas as well as the work of the immigration staff that has handled 7,000 people and answered well over 30,000 calls so far this year at the Elgin Road office. Their colleagues at the airport have processed 697,427 air travellers and the passport of office issued 3,020 Cayman Islands passports and 4,461 visa-waivers.

“It is one of my key objectives to try to be as transparent as possible about what we do and as our department receives a substantive number of Freedom of Information (FOI) request these statistics will prove helpful going forward,” Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans said.  “We also hope to expand the number of statistics we can make available.”

Commending her officers and administrative staff for the workload they undertake she said, “It is evident that my staff is processing and producing an inordinate amount of transactions of various types. I thank them, and their dedication to their tasks is matched by my own commitment to keep them motivated to continue offering excellent service.”

See the complete document on the website www.immigration.gov.ky or posted below.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Dudes – can't we all get along?

    Just read the report and try to learn from it.  And drop the "Caymanian" argument, as most of us are considered Caymanian now anyways — at least when it is convenient to so be.

  2. Anonymous says:

    The number of foreign workers on CYB and LCM is in p11 of the report.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Apart from sparking the stupid expat vs Caymanian slanging match this report should be commended, as a first draft at getting useful information into the public domain, well done.  A bit of encouragement would go a long way to persuading other government departments to follow suit.  Keep it up.

  4. Anonymous says:

    KEY EMPLOYEE=GLASS CEILING

    we as NATIVE CAYMANIANS need to continue to encourage & educate are young CAYMANIAN students to never give up & that some day when they do hit this glass ceiling to not get discourged & after exuasting ALL legal options & with no postive results to insure their BIRTHRIGHT to succeed in their OWN COUNTRY then well, REVOLUTION MUST COME!!! 

    • JimBob says:

      OH Please. The majority of businesses are Caymanian owned, so it is Caymanian screwing over Caymanian just to make a quick buck. And please leave your bigoted views of being a "native caymanian" at home. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Wrong. The major employers on the Island are not Caymanian-owned at all and even where they are said to be they are really status holders. Do you think the Banks are Caymanian-owned? Fund Administrators? Accounting firms? Law firms? LIME? 

        Please leave your bigoted views at the door.

        • Anonymous says:

          …and on top of that there is the issue of fronting. At very significant number of businesses that pretend to have majority Caymanian ownership, in reality, do not.

          • Anonymous says:

            Question-

            Will the grandchildren of today's status holders, whose parents, children of today's status-holder "Caymanians", were born in these Islands become "born" Caymanians??? Or will you have to be the great-great-great (ad infinitum) grandchild of a "status holder"  to become known as a "born" Caymanian?

            Read the Law…"status" = Caymanian! Caymanian = Stakeholder in the Islands…..

            • Anonymous says:

              My dear, the Immigration Law saying that you have been granted the right to be a Caymanian does not make you a native Caymanian anymore than declaring a conch to be a whelk makes it so. A status holder is not a full citizen even according to the law. He cannot vote or run for office. It is revocable.   

        • Anonymous says:

          Oh!! So that means you are another one of those Caymanians that think the ONLY job to have is in law or finance!! Just like the ignorant woman that said the 16yr olds that tried to rob Dominos should be put to work at Wendy's as punishment!!! THAT'S where they SHOULD be working!!!

          Shame on you shame on you shame on all of you.  Your positioin in society should not be where you work for a living. It should be what you do as a person. Your integrity, honesty and what you give back to society. (BTW; just "going to church  doesn't make you a Christian, nor a good person, anymore than going to the garage makes you a car")

          It is people like you that continue to perpetuate this myth that only these 2 professions are good enough for a BIRTHRIGHT. Pah!

          Buncha spoiled rotten brats. And dah wah ya get..

          As a side note, I worked at Wendy's when I was 16 and now make a decent salary at a place that is NOT involved in the legal or financial profession.

          • Anonymous says:

            I had no idea that LIME was in law or finance. The rest of your post is rambling nonsense.  Presumably you are still working at Wendys.

        • Anonymous says:

          Sorry dude but you are wrong, the majority of employees on the Cayman Islands are employed by Caymanian owned businesses. The major employers may not be Caymanian but this is a different issue. And of course international institutions are not Caymanian owned. In regards to your comment re status holders – they are Caymanians  – stop trying to discriminate againt them.  

        • observer_1 says:

          There is not enough "so called Real Caymanian"(your ancient view that naturalised Caymanian are not Caymanian is forgiven) willing an able to open Large businesses which employs thousands of Caymanians. would you rather these businesses including the banks and trust companies  leave Cayman even if we go back to the somke pot days? Remember there is no more National Bulk Carrier to employ  the young men .Some of you speak as though its a crime being committed by the big businesses. Do you want to nationalise these business? Who would buy the shares? Many people will only be able to work in these businesses. some will get up to top managers but they have to have higher degrees and skills. Most Caymanian and ordinary workers will only be workers unless you want to introduce Socialism. Yes when the non-executive classes are rolled out Caymanians will get jobs, but how many will be able to take over at the managerial and executive levels ? We know that Socialist Governments of the past are  a failures because we saw it in the former Soviet Union Cuba and some Carribbean countries that experimented with it. China found out the evils of that style of admininistation and is embracing Capitalism. I rather have half a loaf than no bread. Lets not run them away let time take care of the workers advancemnet.

          • Anonymous says:

            Surely anyone born here prior to 1962 are Jamaican by birth anyway, so what does it matter?

             

    • Anonymous says:

      Perhaps you should proof read your comment before posting it!  What you submitted, in terms of spelling & grammar, simply confirms that it is not enough to be a Caymanian to get a job, you also have to be educated to at least a minimum basic level.  Enough said!!!

      • Anonymous says:

        Comma splice alert.  Please review the basic rules of punctuation before criticizing others for their grammatical failings.  

        • Dick Shaughneary says:

          The issue of comma splices is more a question of style than prescriptive grammar.  Those that adopt the prescriptive approach tend to fall into the camp that also have an outdated problem with split infinitives.  If the only issue with posters on this forum was the odd comma splice then I would be a very happy Dick Shaughneary.  Certain American English grammar commentators are more strongly opposed to comma splices.  I notice that you write in American English.  That might explain why you thought that it was a prescriptive rule.  However we all know the real reason was that you were trying to show off.  That is my job.

          • Anonymous says:

            Ha ha ha.  Like your last line, but sadly, I can't agree with your post.  The comma splice can, indeed, be an effective tool if one is writing poetically, as in the famous, "I came, I saw, I conquered."   However, it is neither clear nor correct in the post above.  

            Neither is it true that only American grammarians condemn the comma splice.  In the words of the British Lynne Truss:

             

            "Done knowingly by an established writer, the comma splice is effective, poetic, dashing. Done equally knowingly by people who are not published writers, it can look weak or presumptuous. Done ignorantly by ignorant people, it is awful."

             

            In the post above, it is awful.  

    • so Anonymous says:

      Thank you for showing us once and for all why native Caymanians have a hard time getting and keeping a job in their own country working for their own country men.  Do you still work in immigration?

    • Kung Fu Iguana says:

      Another shining example of what the local education system produces.

    • Anonymous says:

      Stand away from the microwave if you are going to keep yourfoil hat on in doors!

  5. Tiny Briefs says:

    Key Employees are trapped in a work place and often are abusively treated after obtaining key as they cannot leave their employer until they obtain PR without having to take their families to another.  This aspect of the system is not only open to abuse, it is resulting in abuse.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Who is abusing them? Their expat employer?

    • Anonymous says:

      I don't believe that once you have Key-Employee status you are trapped. In fact, I know of quite a few people who had received Key-Employee status and then turned around and left the company and found employment somewhere else.

      Key-employee status doesn't trap you any more or less than a general work permit does. While clearly no employer should ever abuse their position towards any employees.

      The whole Key-employee thing is hog wash anyway -one minute you are so important to the company that they can't do without you, next minute you are moving on somewhere else and the company is filing for another employee to get key-employee status all over again.

  6. Anonymous says:

    How on earth can jmmigration be doing a good job when people without T&B are blatantly selling items under trees and on side walks.

    As a business owner I pay Rent, T&B, Salary's, (99% cayman workers) Pensions, Health, Duty, Sick Leave, Electricity, Water, shipping Etc, Etc, Etc.

    HOW ARE WE AS BUSINESS OWNERS AND EMPLOYERS SUPPOSED TO COMPETE WITH HAWKERS?

    Also Immigration and Customs try stopping the suitcases of illegaly smuggled goods that are coming off the cruise ships every time they dock here.

    DO YOUR JOB!!!!!!

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Get your facts my dear Immigration does not do Trade and Business Licences. T&B's are done by the Department of Commerce and Investment and they are doing a great job in getting this under control. As you seem to know and have seen so much why dont you just drop them (DCI) a line with your concerns and I am sure they will assist.

      • Anonymous says:

        No Dahlin, you get your facts straight. Trade and Business licensing only recently moved to DCI. Responsibility for actual enforcement, for now, remains with immigration. There is yet to be an arrest for fronting. There is yet to be a prosecution for fronting. It is about much more than fees and enforcement has been non existent for years.

    • Anonymous says:

      Is Immigration authorised to check suitcases????????? Geee just asking.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Still waiting for Mr. Manderson's promise to be fullfiled. That is, policies to be published. To date only Caymanians can hire Jamaican helpers. Its hard to play be the rules when we don't really know what they are. 

    Its ironic that just today the Compass has an article about open board meetings. Could one imagine that level of openeness and fairness in Cayman? My guess is that it will be a cold day in Hell (West Bay) before that happens. 

  8. Whodatis says:

    Sounds more like certain people are looking out for their own.

    Typical story though – history has proven that certain people would never have advanced on a level playing field.

    This is clearly evident today as they are slipping from earlier grace and "exceptionalism" as the world and society is becoming more equitable and transparent.

    If not for big guns, an absurd monetary system, and obscene, illegal, murderous international corruption they would be starving in the gutters like so many other people around the world.

    Did someone recently suggest for us to be proud of a particular identity?

    On what basis exactly? No, seriously.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Oh dear Mac. Looks like the population is growing.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Are there really 629 work permit holders on CYB and LCM??? And all I ever hear that there isn't any work over there for local people.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not sure where you get your figure on work permits for CYB and LYB but they are excessive. Furthermore, there is no real unemployment in Cayman Brac just unemployables for a number of reasons (numerous convictions, drug use, no experience, unreliable). There are a few out of work in the construction industry right now but there is no construction work really going on. There are a few school leavers who would like to work but they want to work when they want to work so they can go to college – employers in Cayman Brac cannot take on these types of employees when sometimes all they have is one person working for them. so they need that worker all the time, not part time. We have an elderly population and so alot of work permit holders are caregivers for the elderly, a job that the unemployed in Cayman Brac do not want to do. Also with no minimum wage there are a few jobs but they pay less than $4 per hour and many Caymanians will not work for that. Before making such ridiculous statements why dont you get the facts and make a FOI check with the Labour Department to see how many are even registered with them in CYB and LYB for work – you may be surprised.

    • noname says:

      Are there really still people in the world who don't understand the difference between skill, experiance and work ethic and a warm body?

      Yes.

    • Jumbles says:

      There is work for everyone who is not a criminal, drunk or on crack.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Key Employee = Glass Ceiling

  12. Anonymous says:

    The Civil Service hears all is not well in Immigration. There are rumors of several people being fired. Anyone know what's going on?

  13. Anonymous says:

    CNS – please note that comparing 19,691 permit holders now to 19,058 foreign workers before Ivan is potentially misleading. Please report on the number of Permanent Resodents with the Right to Work and persons with RERC’s as the spouse of Caymanians (both categories of which were counted amongst work permit holders just before Ivan) and then compare the numbers. You will find there has in fact been a very substantial increase in foreign workers in the last 7 years ( and that is without taking any account of several thousand new Caymanians made up in the intervening period).

    • Anonymous says:

      Why don't you do some work and instead of requesting CNS do it on your behalf, you look up the figures you want.

      Or are you to lazy to do it yourself? what nationality could you be?

      • Anonymous says:

        I have. FOI request was filed months ago and is one of the reasons the data you have was released The actual data on the outstanding items is still to be provided and is expected to be released soon. No need to apologise. You can extrapolate the answers from much has been released already. Oh – and I am a Caymanian. You seem not to care about what is happening here. What nationality could you be?