Employers warned over invalid work permits

| 20/01/2009

(CNS): Employers who fail to cancel the work permits of employees that no longer work for them are breaking the law, the Immigration Department said yesterday in a bid to remind employers of their obligations following a number of cases that have come to the department’s attention, where work permits have continued to be active despite an employee’s departure.

Chief Immigration Officer Franz Manderson said that employers are legally obliged to cancel the permits of workers who are no longer employed by them, and the department has had to deal with several cases recently where peoplr no longer have the jobs for which work permits were granted, yet they remain on-island.   

Noting that failure to inform Immigration of the changed job status of an employee is illegal under Immigration Regulations (2007 Revision), Manderson added that the employer can be fined for such an offence. The employee can also be fined and removed from the Islands if found to have remained without the specific permission of the Immigration Department after his or her employment has been terminated.

The laws states: Where a person whose employment in the Islands is authorized under a work permit, the grant of which is conditional upon his remaining in the employment of a particular employer, ceases to be employed by that employer then the work permit ceases to be valid; and the employer shall forthwith give written notice of the termination of the employment to the Chief Immigration Officer, and if he fails to do so is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of five thousand dollars.

Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith noted that the department would be stepping up efforts to investigate and prosecute such offences. “Department of Immigration’s Enforcement and Intelligence Office will deploy all resources available in an effort to identify and vigorously pursue all persons and / or companies choosing to abuse the law,” Smith said, adding that anyone found in breach should expect to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  

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  1. Anonymous says:

     caymanians are not out of jobs for any other reason other than not having the qualifications or desire to work… 

    Burger King

    Diver operations

    Hotels

    Bars and restaurants

    Banks

    Insurance

    and the list goes on…. there are ToNS of jobs on this island and all you have to do is apply, and then show up consistently to do a decent job… even halfway decent will do for most… 

    You have first shot at every single job on the island so if an expat is in the position it can only be because you don’t want it or can’t do it.. . You even have access to high level education that most of the rest of the world either can’t afford or has to pay for themselves.. take advantage!!!

    at home people complain about immigrants taking their jobs.. but guess what jobs they take… running their own small businesses… corner stores… gas stations… factory manual labour… ie. the jobs other people don’t want anyway but that need to get done for the country to flourish and prosper. So… you need expats to do work here for the country to survive but you complain that they are taking your jobs. Makes total sense to me. 

  2. Anonymous says:

    OMG!

    i really can not hear any more!you poor  poor camanians!

    seriously, if you get treated so bad as you think than go some where else and see how the rest of the wolrd work. how ruff it can be if you not having a status in this country. because there is something behind the horizont. i think there should be a law for all camanians to leave this wonderfull place for study AND!!! work in a different country at least a year! maybe a country with a different langue to apprecite what a great live you have here in the cayman islands and how easy it is to find a job and to realice that expats are not just "slaves and jobtaker", that there also just humans with a soul how try to life there live. i am native german, so i apologise for written mistakes.

    god bless you and everyone a great day

  3. Anonymous says:

    Immigration needs to also investigate persons working on the islands illegal. Whom are just on a visiting visa and are being employed (re;cheap labour). Caymanians are out of jobs due to these issues as well.