Archive for December 2nd, 2008

Work permit fees to change

(CNS): Government has said the changes to work permit fee structures are not a revenue generating measure, but one related to clarity, and employers should find themselves paying less fees for their staff rather than more with the introduction of a new schedule of fees designed to address problem areas. In particular, directors below the rank of Managing Director or CEO will now pay a lower rate that the current top fee.

One of a number of changes taking place to the Immigration Law, the department will now offer a lower fee for directors who fall below the top level of management, such as HR directors, sales directors or IT directors. These posts under the old system were charged at the top rate of CI$17,000 but now they will be rated at CI$12,500.

Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts said the introduction of a more detailed schedule of fees was as a result of calls from the private sector for greater clarity and consistency in application with respect to fees for particular occupations. “In producing this new fee table the Department of Immigration worked closely with the Department of Employment Relations and representatives from the private sector to ensure that all occupations within each industry represented here have been specified,” he said.

Explaining the new senior staff fee, he said that ,at present, the most senior executives — chief executive officers and managing directors, who must possess a professional qualification for their position — pay an annual work permit fee of $17,500. This is the most expensive fee that is charged for any immigration category. The next fee below this paid by professional managers, such as accountants, doctors, and bankers, is $7,500.

“It was considered that the disparity between these two fees is excessive. A new fee has therefore been created in the amount of $12,500 which will apply to persons employed in the level below the most senior executives,” Tibbetts added. He said the fee of $7,500 would continue to apply to those professionals to whom it applies now, namely accountants, bankers and lawyers. “We believe that this is a more equitable approach and it was not objected to when the revised Schedule of Fees was circulated to private sector organizations for comment.”

The fee structure is also changing with regards to the grant of permanent residency.  The LoGB said that, previously, the fee payable depended on whether the person was employed in an unskilled, skilled or professional occupation. “With only three possible outcomes, this was considered unfair to those who were either considered skilled or professional but whose incomes were not as high as other occupations within those designations,” he added, explaining that a teacher or nurse and a managing director would be required to pay the same fee of $5,000. “It was therefore decided to introduce a system where the fee payable is based on the person’s annual income, and there would be six income ranges with fees set incrementally as the income bands increased.”

From now on, a teacher under the new system earning between $43,000 and $59,000 per annum would pay a fee of $2,000 whereas a managing director earning in excess of $100,000 per annum would pay $6,000. “We consider that this is a much fairer basis upon which to assess permanent residence fees,” Tibbetts noted.

Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson confirmed that he did not expect any of the new fee schedules to necessarily generate income but that they were designed to be fairer and more clear and concise.

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New rules for US travel

(CNS): With the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) due to take effect next month (12 January), the United States authorities arewarning travellers to be careful of rogue websites offering assistance with ESTA that are charging a fee for what is at present a free service. The new online travel permit applies to nationals of European Countries including the UK, as well as Australians, Japanese and New Zealanders.

Anyone from a country that does not require a visa to enter the United States will now be required to register their trip on line before they leave  at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov which is free. However, websites such as www.esta.us and www.travelauthorization.org with official sounding names are charging unwitting travellers as much as to $250 for their application. “These websites are not endorsed by or affiliated in any way with the US government,” a spokesperson from the US Homeland Security said.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, all nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be required by law to obtain a travel authorization prior to initiating travel to the United States under the VWP. This authorization may be obtained online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA™), a free Internet application administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a US government Web site. The DHS does not charge VWP travellers a fee for completion of an ESTA application

Only Caymanians travelling with a UK passport will need to register their visit on-line, but nationals from any of the twenty-seven countries affected, including European Union states as well as Australia Japan and New Zealand, living in Cayman will also have to register at least 3 days before they are due to enter the US.

Gail Duquesnay of Adventure Travel and the former consular agent for the US in the Cayman Islands told CNS that travellers need to remember that the information they put on-line needs to match the green form they fill in on entry and that the on-line details will need to be edited each time people travel if they are going to a different destination.

“The registration is valid for two years but while your personal information is not necessarily going to change in that period, unless you are taking identical trips every time you go to the US you will need to go on-line and edit the details about where you are staying,” she said, adding that any changes in passport details will also have to be recorded.

She also said that most local agents will help people do the registration if they don’t have access to the internet but that the website was free and there was no need to go to other websites and pay for assistance.  She said that anyone who has a visa for the United States does not need to do this or those travelling with Caymanian passports.

The US Department of Homeland Security said that by the end of last week some 300,000 people from eligible countries have already used the system during its testing phase which started in August. The introduction of ESTA allows travellers to enter the US without a visa and stay for up to 90 days, eventually replacing the written form that has traditionally been used. Authorizations under ESTA will be generally valid for as long as two years or until the applicant’s passport expires.

Travellers using the system must provide biographical data, including their name, birth date, and passport information, along with their destination address in the US, and answer questions regarding communicable diseases, arrests and convictions for certain crimes, as well as any past history of visa revocation or deportation, among others.

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Police use radio announcements to fight crime

(CNS): Warnings about the penalties for getting involved with gun crimes, encouraging people to report their suspicions and offering help to those suffering domestic abuse are just some of the messages that the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is hoping to deliver through Public Service Announcements (PSA) on Radio Cayman to help them fight crime in the community.

The RCIPS says that it has joined forces with the local radio station to deliver key crime awareness messages to the community . The series of five PSA’s tackle a variety of issues including road safety, burglary prevention, domestic violence, gun crime and reporting suspicious activity or crime.

“We want to ensure the community is as informed as possible when it comes to these key areas,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anthony Ennis.

The PSAs tackle each issue in a slightly different way. The road safety PSA warns those who put themselves at risk by breaking the traffic law that they not only risk being caught by the police but also risk serious injury. The burglary PSA urges people to be careful with their homes and possessions at all times. The domestic violence PSA stresses that help is available for those in abusive relationships. The gun crime PSA demonstrates how being involved in illegal weapons can result in a loss of freedom through a ten-year prison sentence, while the crime reporting PSA encourages members of the public to report suspicious activity, even if they are not sure that criminal activity is taking place.

“Radio Cayman 89.9fm and Breeze 105.3fm have always enjoyed a good relationship with the RCIPS. We are pleased to have provided voice-over talent and production services from our staff for the RCIPS in their campaign promoting safe driving, as well as encouraging preventative measures in personal safety," said Kathy Miller, Radio Cayman’s sales and promotions representative.

Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling crime stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.

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