Immigration meeting set for eastern districts
(CNS): The town hall meetings dealing with the government’s planned Immigration Reform continue in the eastern districts this week. The premier and government officials will be in Bodden Town tonight (Monday 14 October) 7pm at the Bodden Town Civic Centre. The meetings then continue in East End on Tuesday, 15th October followed by North Side on Wednesday, 16th October at the district Civic Centres. Both of those meetings will start at 7-30pm. “Government is holding these meetings throughout the Cayman Islands to help constituents and residents understand the proposals being made in immigration reforms,” officials stated.
The forums are also presenting an opportunity for government to explain the details of a number of employment initiatives underway to find jobs for Caymanians.
An immigration amendment bill was submitted to the Legislative Assembly on Friday, 20 September as the first phase of the reform of the immigration policy of the Cayman Islands.
Officials are urging everyone to attend one of the meetings.
Category: Politics
What's the use of talking about it if you have no intention of doing anything about..Stop wasting people's time trying to make them believe you are something you are not
Can things get more parochial than having the same meeting in every district in Grand Cayman? It is a tiny island and GT is near everyone. One meeting would have sufficed.
Try driving in and around rush hour, then you will see how near these places are…
But the meetings were at 7.30pm and "rush-hour" lasts between 5.01pm and 5.15pm
So you are complaining that for the convenience of the people intersted in attending they had too many meetings?
Can you please repeat your question in English?
Sure.
So you are complaining that there are too many meetings when in fact the only reason for having multiple meetings is to ensure that everyone has a convenient opportunity to attend?
I'm pretty sure that if there was only one meeting that you or someone else would complain that they should have made it more convenient for people to attend.
At 7.30pm when these meetings were scheduled everyone can get to a meeting in George Town in a short time, 30 minutes for 95% of the population of Grand Cayman. Holding lots of meetings to appease "districtism" is extravagant and unnecessary. I am not talking about the Brac with this point. But why should there be a meeting in West Bay or Bodden Town?
Please leave. You plainly have neither an understanding of Cayman, nor a willingness to learn. You damage relations with expats through your arrogance. Must be a lack of broughtupsy.
I understand that people are too precious to drive 10 miles.
100% Caymankind.
No, 50% expat actually, but just choose to be a part of my community.
Please stop being backwards and trying to manage a nation on the same basis as when there were no roads and people did not have cars. You plainly have neither an understanding of geography or technology. You damage relations with the 21st century with your stupidity. And leave my momma out of it.
That is a stupid, unnecessary comment.
but according to arden and ezzard each district has their own culture…… zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I was always told that 0 = 0.
We do not need the unemployed to show up, we NEED every HR Manager to go and explain themselves! Every large Bank, Accounting Firm, and Law Firm on this island is guilty of playing PERMIT POKER with work pernits, period!!!
If you are a college degreed expat employee on a permit -it is guaranteed renewed! The Firms refused to replace expats with locals. Immigration Boards NEVER actually SEE the Caymanian applications- Nope, they get a fabricated list as to WHY a local is not suitable. It is complete hogwash!
I m so sick of applying for professional jobs (with my overseas degree, 5 years of experience, and excellent references) to be told to my FACE that it is a work pernit renewal and the incumbent is well liked. Will the incumbent please pay my mortgage? Gee, they get to go back to XXX for Christmas while I wonder if I can afford to buy a tree for my family this year.
My professional services firm closed here and moved offices to another island- I was downsized not fired. I have a great reputation and am registered with the NWDA. It is pathetic to see the Human Resource Departments BREAK the LAW without any punishment. I apply for jobs and permits are renewed, it is that simple.
Hey, I like that expat fellow too. We have a lot of freinds from overseas, but I do not want to leave my extended close-knit family to seek employment overseas. My family is here and I HAVE done the right things to work myself up the ladder so WHY am I shut out of my own profession for their permits?
The bigger the firm, the bigger the HR farce is! I dare all Human Resource managers to examine their conscious- the last time a Caymanian manager I know stood up to hire a local, they too were fired and HR is 100% to BLAME.
I was not in your office, but I too was fired for standing up for locals. The issue you describe is widespread. You have to break the law and turn against your own people to be able to "succeed" in many supposedly fine establishments.
So, government, when do we see some arrests of some financial services executives (or is committing overt fraud on the Government and people of these Islands, whilst literally destroying careers of the people who have welcomed them, OK)?
Hear hear.
Our big Banks and Law firms turn a blind eye and BREAK THE LAW EVERY DAY when hiring for Admin and IT jobs, period.
They allow HR(on their direction) to turn away qualified locals and submit false paperwork…..Period. It would be sooooo easy to do a "sting" on the TOP FIRMS, but will Enforcement? Nope. Cronyism is alive and well. Instead the top fimrs play work permit poker and stack the deck with locals at the receotion desk and low level positions, but try to get to middle management and the glass ceiling will hit you in the head!
It would be great to see some of the top Exec expats lose t heir license for signing off on hiring permits while breaking the LAW.
Don't worry I hear the tax man from Europe and North America will be coming soon. Let the big firms and the big guys pull the wool over their eyes. Injustice catches up one way or another, many tried the same in Bahamas now it's Cayman's turn as they were not as lucky in Bermuda. Well they are slowly moving in the Eastern Caribbean but thank heavens for the Internet because people are reading blogs and CNS does a great service.
I agree.
I spent years abroad getting my degreeS (please notice the capitalized S), work experience in three different countries, and only to return to Cayman fordisappointments. I returned to Cayman after 5 years of studies and 6 years of work experience including the UK. I applied for jobs I was qualified for (after all, I worked in the UK and got the necessary international experience – not to suggest that this beats local experience). Interview after interview, I was told either "you're overqualified", "you don't speak Russian and Spanish", "you don't have any XXXX software experience", "this is a work permit renewal and we're only interviewing you because the immigration department requires it", "this interview is a waste of time because this is a work permit renewal", "you're perfect for this job but unfortunately this is a workpermit renewal….but we will be creating an assisant XXXX position in 6 months and invite you to apply then".
The best part is that my British boyfriend returned to the Island with me and he found a job in 5 days (a record I can boast about when job hunting internationally). We worked at the same firm in the UK and that's how we met (and we both have UK degrees).
For the record, I waited 6 months before I got a job.
More spin and manipulation by the govt how about jobs and chances for our people instead of politics
1500 PRs will NOT be granted. They have the CHANCE to apply!
These people cannot understand!! please note 1500 WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY BUT BY NO STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION WILL 1500 BE GRANTED PERMANENT RESIDENCY. Please read very slowly so you can understand. The Premier and Government is trying to help you guys- please read between the lines. Outrightly sending home 1500 is not the only way to get them out- most of them will leave by default. They will not be able to qualify and consequently they will have to leave. I tell you common sense is not so common!!
better get a bigroom! and understand Ezzard and Arden going to have the mystery unemployed three thousand turn up at these meetings.
You had better invest in good security and gated communities because pretty soon this will be a way of life if the current system continues. Examples are all around us but we continue to deny the facts and pretend. Oh there are no gangs just group of boys (really?), There are no unemployment, just unemployable people (yeh right!), no need for political parties no party system perfect (said Mr. Gonzales – smart man) oh no we need parties ( what a party and a good time we having in Cayman now) Deny, deny , Cayman is in a melt down state and if government does not address immigration and unemployment in a holistic way, Cayman will be a lost cause within the next five years. Expats and the ruling class natives will be long gone like they did in neighboring countries, as a matter of fact those with foresight have already left and many are just milking the cow of the last drop of milk. Like good citizens of any country I suspect that Ezzard and Arden will stay on the ship and when and if she sinks they will accept their fate and sing "Nearer my God to thee". I pray before that happens Caymanians will come to their senses, realise that there are strenght in numbers, forget about job security because there is none and put country first and stop being spectators on the sideline while others enjoy the fruits of our forefathers toils and we scramble for the crumbs. How pathetic! This could only happen in Cayman perfect setup but I don't want to see the outcome. Passive don't always translate into weakness.