WP holders to get 10 years

| 22/07/2013

CNS): The PPM administration is planning to move quickly on major changes to the immigration law and policies, as promised during the election campaign. The government is abolishing the key employee status, enabling all work permit holders to stay in the Cayman Islands for up to ten years and apply for permanent residency after eight. Cabinet has agreed that these major changes to the legislation will be implemented in two phases. Phase One will include extending the term limit for work permit holders to ten years, the removal  of ‘key employee’ and amending the requirements for permanent residence, which will be scheduled to take effect by the end of October.

The PPM had promised some time ago that, if elected, they would drop the seven year term limit and the associated key employee and make the PR application the place where government will decide who should stay or go. In his role as opposition leader, the now premier, Alden McLaughlin, had spoken about the need to ensure different types of people got to stay in Cayman and not just those from the financial services sector.

In a release from the new home affairs ministry at the weekend, officials explained that Phase Two will be a full scale review of the work permit system, with the intention of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

Following through on the commitments made in the Progressives’ Manifesto and taking into account the recommendations of the Term Limit Review Committee, officials said that Cabinet had agreed to extend the length of time that a worker may remain in the Islands on a work permit from seven to ten years.

“At the same time the key employee aspect of the term limit policy will be abolished and all work permit holders who have resided here for at least eight years will become eligible to apply for permanent residence,” the release stated.

Term Limit Exemption Permit holders will be allowed to return to an ordinary work permit up to their ten years and apply for PR.

As a result of the increase in the number of people who will be able to apply for PR, the home affairs ministry is reviewing how PR is granted. It will focus on redefining the assessment criteria to align with the government’s economic, cultural and social objectives.

“The aim is to ensure persons granted Permanent Residence are drawn from a diverse cross-section of our society and are also assets to the community,” the officials stated. The new criteria will also take into account the impact of removing the initial filter of key employee and will speed up the appeals process by removing as quickly as possible those without merit.

In the second phase, government will tackle the even bigger issue of processing work permits to “reduce bureaucracy and eliminate the current system of boards and the way work permits are processed to ensure Caymanians are given the opportunity to participate fully in the local economy. 

“With over 20,000 work permit holders in Cayman’s workforce, coupled with over 1,500 Caymanians registered as unemployed, the processing of work permit applications is critically important to Cayman’s economic and social fortunes. The system must be fair, reliable, efficient and transparent,” the ministry officials stated.

The committee that will review the entire WP process will include members of the business community and is expected to submit recommendations for legislation and polices by January.

See full release below.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    What the HELL? I am started to be ashime of PPM CAYMANIANS come first! we NEED or JOBS shall we protest in George Town these peaple NEEDS to GO!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Forget about private sectors. Its is said that about 1200 caymanians are unemployed. The governmet employs 900 expat. They do not have to pay work permit fees. Start with the government. Ask them to hire Caymanians instead. Oh wait a minute. Why then has the government hire 900 expats? Is it that they too do not have any faith in their fellow Caymanians. MMMMMMMMmmmmmm I wonder.

    • Anonymous says:

      Some of them are employed by church sisters and brothers, they bring their friends and squeeze the caymanian out.  Some of them have under valued store supplies for reduction in duties and are employed in government.  All the dirt is swept under the carpet for them and they are the good guys.

    • Anonymous says:

      Forget about private sectors……. Tues, 07/23/2013 – 16:35 

      We are not their fellow Caymanians, considering the majority of the hiring foce in government force are expats.

  3. Anonymous says:

    I think this is the right way to go, key employee and rollover only got rid of the people we wanted to keep here and kept the people that needed to go.  At the same time however, they need to reform the process for getting a work permit, too many large companies out there prefer to hire expats and hold caymanians back and get away with it as the work permit boards don't really look into anything. 

  4. Anonymous says:

    We will end up with more residents & more dependants on social services & more indigenous Caymanians jobless! Alden that’s not fixing the problem!

    Caymanian

    • Anonymous says:

      That all depends on the new residency requirements and point system to be announced.  Hopefully they will make it easier for those skilled workers who can support themselves, and harder for those unskilled workers who clearly can't – yet somehow all seem to be getting residency.

      • Anonymous says:

        The current law prohibits indigents from getting PR and then status and yet hundreds or even thousands have. Could the Attorney General confirm how?

    • Anonymous says:

      What exactly is the definition of an indigenous person in Cayman? 

  5. Kadafe says:

    I can't believe the amount of ignorance in these comments. The government is not giving out 10 year permits. The are allowing work permit holders to stay in the country for a period of ten years  as long as they continue to receive a work permit from their employer. The permits still need to be renewed every year. Can you imagine being an employer who just took out a ten year permit for someone who turned out to not be as good as you thought they were? So you would be stuck for ten years? Please do some background reading and stay up to date before battering us with your ignorance! Thanks.

  6. Whodatis says:

    Re: Perceived Unfairness to our Expats

    Respectfully, posters … it is called the real world.

    Specifically, the real world of any expatriate living in a foreign country. (Honestly, a lot of what we are witnessing is a failure on the part of many to come to terms with their reality … some of us believe ourselves above certain global norms.)

    Granted, it is not an ideal situation, but it is no way out of the ordinary in these times.

    E.g. Review what is taking place in the UK, USA and EU as it regards immigration policies at this very moment. (In fact, many of their issues tend to be not of the "work permit" variety – but that of born citizens of foreign background.)

    Obviously Cayman is one of the best places to live in the world (although many of our expats will disagree with me – go figure, lol!) but we have far greater issues to consider than the individual comfort and convenience of our expats.

    The very essence of this country, the future of our children, and our long-term stability and national security is dependent on us handling immigration in a tailored fashion.

    *Let us bear in mind that we are currently facing a 50:50 expat:local ratio. That is no minor issue.

    • Double Entry says:

      The money is great.  The place not so much.

      • Anonymous says:

        The money is great, the place notso much.

        Ok if that is the way you see it, forget the money and go back where it is great, remember money is not everything.

    • Anonymous says:

      WHodatis..your reality seems to come from the weed…

      In EU any EU citizen can move to any other EU country (except for Bulgarians and Romanians currently) to get employment..no permission needed.

      You cannot compare Cayman and those nations in the same breath. Cayman is a special case where the issues need some much deeper study than general anti expat or anti UK comments which you are fond of writing without actually having the capability to provide a coherent solution…just keep bashing away, someone might believe you in the end…probably your dealer….

       

      There are big issues here on both sides…but unlike EU, an expat screws up and either his employer sends him packing or Immigration do…the real issues are some (but by no means all) attitudes and entitlement to work beliefs which are not related in any way to the reality of the current world. Cayman needs to understand that badly…just because there is a job, it doesn't mean you are gonna get it…you gotta prove you are worth it. All this BS about expats getting in…it is Caymanians who decide this, not expats…

      • Whodatis says:

        … and that folks is an example of an individual with a freshly bruised toe..

  7. Unfiltered says:

    Find a young caymanian willing to dedicate more than 3 months to a job paying less than $2500…… Why rollover an already dedicate employee or the small chance of actually finding some one local to take up the reigns of an already established and dedicated employee who shows up to work and wants to work and doesn't feel that he is owed a job because he was born here. Ps….self inflicted poor people aren't poor it's just lazy and lack of push because caymanians have gone from sweating it out to receiving hand outs. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Perhaps you need to find something better to do than make stupid comments about Caymanians! 

      • Unfiltered says:

        Why should I ? What if I was caymanian and merely sharing my unfiltered opinion

  8. Anonymous says:

    WOW! They REALLY care about Caymanians!! (Yes, that was SARCASM!) Honestly, this will just make it worse for Caymanians, especially those born and raised here. Looks like we'll have to find another country to live and work in, as out government CLEARLY is not looking out for us ONCE AGAIN!!

  9. Anonymous says:

    DER is a joke! They send you lists of candidates that are not even close to qualified for the job you want to fill, that is, if they send you anything at all. I've interviewed many candidates from the DER labor pool, and unemployable is the only thing that comes to mind.

    These Caymanians screaming about protecting Caymanians jobs clearly have never run their own business. If they had, they would stop walking around with their hands out as if government owed them something, or that they are entitled to a job simply because they are Caymanian. Nobody gave us anything, we had to work for it.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yup DER have no clue about skills matching, but then again neither do Immigration or the Work Permit Board – hence the expat/Caymanian hositility will continue indefinitely until this issue is resolved.

  10. 4 Cayman says:

    14.35 I am well aware there are a number of born Caymanians who expects hand outs and this is primarily due to the mentality that some politician encouraged to keep their seats in the LA. However, there are hard working Caymanians who come out day in and day out and go above and aboard of what the company's expectations are and still suffer defeat to the hands of expatriates supervisors or employers.  They belittle us talk about incompetence and so on…..but yet they come to our shores by the hundreds.  So lets dissects your queries.

    * an expatriate supervisor or head of a department would prefer a work permit holder as they are guaranteed their work permit would be approved as no suitable Caymanian has been identified.

    * I have personally find job adverts a bit intimidated. For example my daughter went away for school for 7 years and obtained her bachelors and masters degree. She came back looking for employment to be advised she has to speak mandarin, Chinese, Portuguese and Cantonese. So I beg the question which Caymanian can speak these languages? The only thing they did not ask for was patois. 

    * I myself was discriminated at one of the bank and over looked for promotion. When inquired why this was so as my performance appraisals were near excellent, they advised I was not qualified, yet the guy they brought in for me to train only had a high school diploma!

    So 14.35 you understand why there are so much resentment the caymanians have? Our immigration policies have screwed and will always screw the Caymanians as they put the dollars first rather than their people. The existing structure is bias and the new 10 year limit is just a band aid over a festering problem that is going and will explode and you know the little school leaver who wants a job in the hotel industry or as a security guard will not be able to find work as those who are currently in the positions and are eligible for permanent residency would have a job for life! Where would the opportunities be for young Caymanians to come?

    There has to be a better way than simply masking this issue? Let say if we were to tax salaries in excess of $300k per annum, this would definitely assist the country's deficit and would take the burden off the immigration board! Just my three cents.

  11. Anonymous says:

    this needs to be done yesterday…. how amny people have already made plans to leave on the assumption they were going to be kicked off in october????

    cayman should not play with peoples lives like this……

    • noname says:

      Yes, but those that are leaving are those that we should keep!  Say no more!

    • Anonymous says:

      I came here by pain.  They came here by PLANE or may be BOAT.  A permit is a contract, only for a time.  LG (life is good) in the Cayman Islands, why should I leave?

  12. Anonymous says:

    I am an expat and I find it surprising that the government would grant ten years work permits. Giving an expat a permit for ten years is basically robbing the locals of that job he has. There is no more a check and balance system where young Caymanians may have the opportunity to get that job. 

    Don't get me wrong, as an expat I love the idea. I should also say that with my current situation I do not require a work permit anymore. But when I came to Cayman I certainly didn't expect to be given the right to stay and work for periods of ten years at a time. I thought it was only normal and fair to have to renew my permit after a couple of years only, so that young Caymanians could get a chance in the workplace.

    Cayman's main problem has always been the lack of stability with its immigration policy. We go from a rigid rollover policy to a "we can all stay" policy and vice versa every four years. Find a middle ground and stick with it.

    • Anonymous says:

      It doesn't say a 10 year work permit will be issued.

    • Anonymous1 says:

      Is it one 10 year work permit or is it a work permit that gets renewed every year for 10? BIG DIFFERENCE

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with 15:18. This is most heart breaking. I can just imagine how the younger Caymanians feel about this. After all if someone comes here to look a living we do not owe them anything. Why do we have to offer them Residency? This is just a step away from Caymanian Status. Now I see the reason why so many wanted to get rid of UDP. I see that this group must have been jealous of everything that Big Mack did. I feel that if a good person comes here to work they should be able to stay for as long as they behave themselves, but we dont have to offer them our heritage. Right now as it is Caymanians have to go to the Expats to interview them for jobs, and as soon as they find out that they are Caymanians their applications are thrown in the garbage. Just cant understand how the hell we allowed this to happen.

    • Anonymous says:

      xpat my axx…..

    • Anonymous says:

      Your comment is based on the hypothetical assumption that the job you have is the only job available. Simple fact is we do nothave enough people in this consumer based economy to support the standard of living we have created and become accostomed to. The economy can only grow if companies grow and flourish not if they contract. Your employer probably brought you here because he or she thought that by adding your skills and/or experience to their business it would help it to grow and increase revenues and hopefully profitability. When revenues grow in business opportunities are further created for qualified and capable people (including young Caymanians).  When businesses contract because you force a qualified employee out just to give his job to a Caymanian no one is best served. A system where both the foreign worker and the Caymanian are enabled is one in which healthy growth and resulting revenues will support the growing economy. 10 year work permits are renewed and paid for annually. If at any time the 10 year employee fails to deliver the value for which the employer hired him, the permit can be terminated. Without suitable growth the cost of living and doing business will only continue to increase to the point where additional and very undesireable tax revenue measures would be forced upon us.

    • Anonymous says:

      What are you talking about?  The immigration system already gives Caymanians the right to apply for a work permit holder's job every year.  Why do you think the job needs to be advertised and a government board has to review all applications?

      • Anonymous says:

        And what when the employer fails to tell immigration qualified Caymanians applied?

        • Thought says:

          Per CNS (or other newspaper) can do an investigative report to see how does immigration track that jobs adverised did not have qualified Caymanians/PR Holders applying for this? Perhaps they can give the details of who to contact if you have issues

      • Who checks? says:

        Please let me know the name and contact details of the person(s) that follow up on this … I need to contact them.

    • Anonymous says:

      You need to read the article, you still need a work permit. The only things they have changed is the amount of time before you get rolled over and they have removedthe key emplyee designation.

      You don't get given a ten year permit!

    • Anonymous says:

      That's not how it works. Immigration isn't a zero-sum game whereby if one expat leaves one Caymanian gets a new job. There are simply not enough qualified Caymanians to fill the senior finance, law and accounting jobs here. By qualified I mean educated at a top university and with experience working at a major firm onshore. The idea is that if you bring that experience in then firstly it will bring a lot more business to the Island and create numerous additional jobs, and secondly that Caymanians will get the benefit of that experience from working alongside the more experienced expat and eventually might be able to assume the expat's role. Plus that expat will rent or buy property, a car, eat in restaurants, drink in bars, send their kids to school here, use mechanics, the banks, construction, pay work permit and other fees to government etc etc etc etc etc.

      When you kick the most experienced expats off the island you are actually depriving Caymanians of jobs and Caymanian businesses of revenue.

      • Anonymous says:

        You are belching Bullsxxt.   Read in the papers how many expats are joining law firms.   They are sideliners and work permits should not be issued when they demand them.   They are too busy feathering their own nests and taking us down that slippery slope.

  13. The lone haranguer says:

    What's the sense running good employees of the island after ten years after they have been all nicely housebroken and trained?

  14. Anonymous says:

    Wrong move PPM….We put u there to fix caymanian unemployment(tissue) lol…Put that kidding aside come on PPM 1 manifesto promise broken and 5,7,9,13,18…..Come on Ezzard Miller give them hell.

    • Anonymous says:

      Do the math 15:13.  There are 24,000 work permit holders and 1,500 unemployed caymanians.  You honestly believe the cause of unemployment is that the immigration board made the wrong decision on 1,500 work permits?  Because any employer will tell you that the boards are just itching to decline a permit if they find any hint of a reason to do so.

      There can only be one reason any Caymanian is unemployed: they are unwilling to work at the market salary for their skills and work ethic.

      How many of those 1,500 people have applied to work at Wendy's?  Oh, none?  Then they are unemployed by choice.  QED.

      • Fuzzy says:

        To:Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/23/2013 – 08:28                                  Why Wendy's? Why not Royal Bank,or Scotiabank,or Vampt Motors or Royal Construction ,or any of the many financial institutions? Again why only Wendy's?.Is it because you believe that Caymanians do not deserve anything better.Many Caymanians are of the opinion that a lot of expats,especially amongst the more recent arrivals ,bring with them a sense of entitlement ,that far surpasses that of any Caymanian.Not only entitlement to a job ,but to stay as long as they choose and enjoy all the rights and privileges that belong to Caymanians.They are of the opinion that they ,the expats,are more deserving of these than the locals.This approach has to change or nothing good can come of it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

      • Anonymous says:

        After the first hundred applied without success, the rest gave up.

    • Anonymous says:

      The unemployed will have to fix the problem themselves 15.13…so easy to blame everyone else but ourselves for our problems..

    • Anonymous says:

      This is a joke!!!!  allowing Cayman to be swamped for ten years doesn't seem to be the right  move, There will be less in sight for our people, and no place to work.  We cannot be so generous in making more Paper Caymanians for the country.  I totally disagree with this step – because it is in the wrong direction, we can prepare for more crime, and we do not need it.

      I fear the next step of the Human rights Law, with the increase of children born here, we will soon be compelled to bestow all rights that was't provided at the time to them.  Please Lets haveour people:

      *Employed

      *Educated

      *Protected then we can care for what is left.

       I do not care what your Manifesto promised!!! Please have the situation re-evaluated and not open a can or worms for our people and the country.   

  15. Anonymous says:

    Can private sector Caymanians get some of our own pension now? To help us get out from the mountain of bills of the ridiculous cost of living on this island?

    • Anonymous_ says:

      If you pull out of your pension now, how do you plan to pay your bills in retirement?

      • Anonymous says:

        tell that to the double-dipping MLA's

      • Anonymous says:

        I have $50,000 in my pension, please tell me how a single-mom taking $7000 out of my own money, to get up to date is so bad? especially after school fees, uniforms, and lunch money for my three kids, coming up next month?

    • noname says:

      You don't need your pension now. All you need is to limit your expenses – switch off that aircon, cook meals at home and pack leftovers for lunch,  don't open that tap to the full flow, postpone that party until you have paid off your bills, cut off that vacation, etc. etc.

      • Anonymous says:

        ECOMOMISE.  Stop living like the Jones's.  Adjust your expectaions downwards.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Interesting that the current Premier was also the most vocal supporter of Roll Over during the previous PPM administration. Good sign here, it shows that at last we have someone in charge who will admit to making mistakes and who also has the honesty to put them right. 

  17. Anonymous says:

    I don't want to stir the pot or say anything offensive here but I do wonder sometimes about the unemployment situation here and would love some genuine feedback about some of my questions. 

    #1 – With the high cost of work permits, why on earth would any employer choose an expat over an equally qualified Caymanian? That simply doesn't make good economic or business sense does it? Yet, if I believe many of the posts on here, that is exactly what employers are accused of doing all the time. I don't understand. Why would an employer do that?

    #2 – Who are these unemployed people really? I am an expat who works for a Caymanian and I play a roll in the hiring process. I'm constantly on the lookout for local people to hire but I simply have not had any success. I keep hearing about all these people who are unemployed and I do see some resumes come across my desk but often the people simply don't show up for the interviews or they simply have zero relevent experience. The industry I am in takes approximately 1 year of training and experience to become employable but it seems like the applicants I see are not interested in this. Maybe other industries have more qualified people available? Again, who exactly are all these unemployed people really? I hesitate to use the word and I certainly don't want to gereralize to the entire population of unemployed people but certainly some of the people I have encountered could certainly be described as unemployable. The one that stands out, by way of example, is the one who continually put off coming for an interview because ofprevious plans to party on the beach. This person had been unemployed for some time and had a long list of previous jobs, none of which could provide a decent reference. None of the jobs lasted. Again, not to generalize but this is the type of applicant I have seen. Are there other examples out there of people who are more highly motivated, trained, experienced but who still can't find work?

    #3 – Why is it someone else's duty to find the unemployed peoplework? This may be a cultural bias that I have but I grew up being taught that in order to get a job I would have to be competative in a global labour market. I remember learning this from both my parents and from my schooling. I was never under the impression at any time that I was owed a job or that I was owed training. I have spent a great deal of my time and money studying and gaining experience to get to where I am. Based on the comments online, on the radio and in newspapers as well as comments from the labour board and other government agencies, I am given to believe that a lot of people here believe that it's the duty of employers to train people to do the jobs they are being hired for. This seems backwards. Hire someone then train them to be qualified instead of becoming qualified then trying to get hired. I get a lot of applicants who don't have even the slightest qualification for the job they are applying for and almost always I get some comment about how they are willing to learn. I explain to them how they can learn and where to go to get the training and experience. I never hear from them again. It seems from comments that people believe it to be the governments or employers job to get the unemployed working. I always believed that one role of government is to foster a healthy economy so that there is no shortage of jobs. It seems to be that there are no shortage of jobs in the Cayman Islands, but that there is a shortage of skilled and unskilled labour, hence the need to go outside of the country to find workers. Given that there is so much work here, and it's so expensive to pay a work permit to hire an expat to do the work, perhaps there is another reason why people are unemployed? 

     

    Again, I am not trying to express anything insulting or to overtly judge. I know this is a sensitive topic. However, my experiences have led me to believe that if people are unemployed, it's because deep down, some want to be. I believe some people want the pay but not necessarily the work. I believe that some people aren't capable and are surely struggling to find ways to develop their skills. I have tried to help mentor people but my experience with that turned out to be quite negative unfortunately (the person involved in the work placement made death threats against one of the Caymanian coworkers in the work place and had to be told to leave). 

    So.. last question: It is my understanding that there are quite a few government programs already in place to help people who are unemployed find either work or work experience to develop their skills. Passport to Success, mentorship programs, chamber of commerce programs and training sessions, etc etc. When people say they want the government to do something about the unemployment problem, what exacly is meant by that?? Are there not enough programs to give people ways to find a path into the workforce?

    What do people want the government to do exactly? 

    On that note; it seems to me that changing the role over policy is doing more than just making expats and business owners happy. It's a necessary move to help keep the economy here healthy and to help keep Cayman attractive to investors and tourists and businesses. If the economy doesn't stay healthy then we surely will end up with a new problem which is that there are less and less jobs available. It won't matter if anyone is qualified or not. Then if the expat population shrinks any further there will be less cars sold, less rental properties occupied, less groceries sold and simply put: a shinking of the economy as a whole. This won't be good for the Cayman Islands, in my humble opinion.

    So, for the government to be making the rollover policy a priority is not to ignore the Caymanian unemployment problem. Quite the opposite, it's to directly address the problem by trying to keep the economy here healthy. 

    My two cents. Sincerely. 

     

     

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      This is 100% spot on. I've seen persons coming through where I work and its the same. You tell them where to get the training, to gain experience, and the question of " is it hard", always seems to come up. Yes it is hard but with a lot of hard work and if it is a career you feels passionately about then go for it…..never to be seen again. 

    • Anonymous says:

      "I don't want to stir the pot"  …….You said that was a 2 cents worth? Based on the quantity that was more like 2,000 dollars worth but based on the quality it is worth 0 cents. Where would you gain experience , if not from the workplace? You gain qualification from an educational institution. This is the reason why Caymanians are unemployed, it is not that they are unemployable, it is that hardly anyone wants to employ them. The majority of the workplaces have expats in charge of the hiring process who like you. believe Caymanians shoud not be in the white collar industry. Though there is nothing wrong with earning an honest living in any industry, it is not up to you to decide where we should be.

    • noname says:

      Well thought out and well said.  Cudos 

       

    • Anonymouss says:

      Spot on.

    • Anon says:

      Regarding what governments should do its relatively simple really and partly addressed in your own comment. EDUCATION.  Government is passing the burden of educating their people on to employers. Employers are in the business of making money.  They are here to make profits not to take time out to teach/train…  that's for teachers and professors and that's what schools and vocational colleges and qualifications are for.  Government has a responsibility to educate its people and turn them out from school/college ready to become part of the workforce.  Furthermore the accrediting bodies that provide the qualifications being studied for, really ought to be internationally recognised rather than home-grown, to give Caymanian people the chance to fairly compete with the expats here, or use those qualifications elsewhere in the world, rather than ending up stuck with a qualification that is only recognised in Cayman.  We are a British Territory and many people have, or will get British passports.  Give them the chance to study English qualifications so that they can use them both at home or abroad.  Give the children better chances, better prospects.

      Until recently, kids could graduate school based on mere attendance, the education policy was a stale outdated model that had not really been revisited, very few vocational schools/qualifications were around either.  More vocational schools are desperately needed, and by that I mean vocational schools providing skills, experience and qualifications in relevant occupations (both skilled and unskilled) – those currently dominated by the expat workforce.  Ifthis is where the skills gaps are, then start teaching your people the skills and close the gap instead of constantly just putting a band aid over it.

      • Anonymous says:

        I can certainly agree on the importance of education and agree government may have roll to play in this.  However, I often view this sentiment as “hey government, make my kid smart!” and really passing the buck from where the real issue lays.

        I have had the privilege of meeting and working with Caymanians who have been as impressive as any people I’ve worked with anywhere in the world.  Many of those peoplehave come up through the exact same educational system as those who have “failed”.  The one universal truth I have seen is that the key to successful education really has its core in the home.  Governments and teachers have a part to play for certain, but you can almost universally look at those children who came through the same educational system and succeeded versus those that have failed and make a pretty educated guess at the how much work ethic, hunger for knowledge, and dedication to a pursuit were instilled at a young age at home.

        I don’t mean you personally, but when I hear someone talking about how the government is failing to educate their kids, it really raises red flags about that person is likely not living up to their own responsibility as a parent.  You see some of the amazing people (though too view in number) coming from the Cayman educational system and it is hard to think at its core it isn’t capable of educating children.  I think there is often something else missing.

        • Anonymous says:

          I hear what you are saying.  I agree is the parents responsibility too and I agree also with the other general points you raise.  I too work with some pretty amazing Caymanians.

          However, I have no children and the point I was really making was the obvious conflict that arises when a government passes its responsibility to educate on to the businesses and employers who invest in Cayman.  Clearly a business is just that – a business, with its first and foremost focus being on profits and productivity – not education.  Whereas a government acts for the people, and is supposed to provide adequate educational facilities for its people, using the people's money (the public purse).  However here, very little is done to tailor education to the professional and unskilled roles where there is an apparent shortage of local skills.  As I said, very little change in education for decades, very little in the way of vocational colleges, graduations from scools without merit.  Until the government looks at the skills gaps here and addresses them through education and apprenticeships, rather than expecting employers to take that burden, then we're all gonna be on the same ole merry go round for decades to come and there will never be any harmony.

    • Anonymous says:

      14:35 I am sorry to have to tell you but your TWO CENTS are not even worth HALF OF A ONE CENT. So you are one of those that come here and found yourself in the hiring position too. I have this to tell you and that is that we are so smart and skilled that we managed to keep a good and stable Country, the envy of so many. I am so surprised to learn that you came here trained as I also have been in the employment business as a Caymanian and to tell you the truth I have found dishonesty and not to mention the domestic helpers, who never cleaned nor put a pot on the fire in their life. Gardners who sleep under the trees most of the time when you are out and distribute your fruits to their friends. I am strongly making a recommendation to the Government or in fact to Ms Linda Evans who is trying to do her best under the present laws and that is that whosoever comes to work as a domestic helper should have training in house keeping and cooking. The reason we have so many people here now is because when the working wife have to employ a helper and they cannot do anything then they turn in their w permit and apply for another and that same one then gets another job and another, but they never ever return home. So to you who have so much fault to find of us Caymanians just get down on you knees and thank God for us who gave you a life.

      • Anonymous says:

        really confused by your comment as I am not really sure what your point is, but be careful what you wish for – being able to cook a meal for your family or having raised 3 children of your own would not "qualify" one as having the "relevant" training one would need to get these jobs.

        Anyway, I placed an advert for a domestic helper last year in the paper and with the labour board (whatever the department is that helps Caymanian's look for jobs). Over the course of 1 month I received inquiries from people in Jamaica and people on Island – not one was a Caymanian!!! I would have prefered to hire a Caymanian as I didn't want to deal with the hassle or cost of a work permit, but none applied. So please tell me, where are all of these unemployed – experienced Caymanian domestic helpers you are supporting here.

    • Anonymous says:

      A lot of good points there but I get the feeling the cost of work permits in the Cayman Islands is still relatively low compared with some other parts of the Carribbean. I've got no idea what the cost is now but I can remember being told about 14-15 years ago it cost US$3000 a year to bring a dive master into one resort I visited and that was a pretty big hit for a dive operation with 10 staff.   

      • Anonymous says:

        You have to be joking… do some research my work permit is just over $25,000 USD per year, BVI for same position $1,500….

        • Anonymous says:

          With 30,000 in payroll tax added. You conveniently forgot that.

        • Anonymous says:

          Now you are being disingenuous. Both BVI and Bermuda have payroll tax in addition to work permit fees, which we do not. Which is cheaper a $25,000 work permit fee or 15% payroll tax on a salary of $250K, plus a work permit fee of $1,500? 

    • Anonymous says:

      To your first question, I believe you are missing one big point.  The cost recruiting, training, and retaining quality staff is generally much higher than the cost of a work permit.  If you make that investment in a Caymanian, they are free to leave at any time for another job.  However, if you invest that in an expat, they are pretty much locked into the job (unless you willfully let them go at least).  I've seen a number of employers who treat expats as basically indentured servants (for lack of a better term).  Once they get into the job the employer can really lock them down.  They cannot just go find another job because of low wages, poor working conditions, etc. 

      I think many immigration policies have at times been along the lines of “the more we restrict the rights of expat workers, the better it is for Caymanians”, when in fact I think that is often self-defeating.  By giving expats only very limited rights to move between jobs, etc, you in effect make them MUCH more attractive to businesses.  So I wonder, if instead of really frowning on expat job hoping, it should be fully allowed and even encouraged.  It could level the playing field between Caymanians and expats in the eyes of employers in this regard.

      Below “Whodatis”, argues we need “work permits” and not “people permits”, I’d argue that has been the status quo for a very long time and is really short sighted.  Ideally, you want to welcome highly skilled people who can make the Cayman product more competitive.  That is done by brining those people to Cayman to provide their services.  If they are providing their services to a job at company A or to a job at company B is really irrelevant.  So I’d argue the opposite of “Whodatis”.  We should very much want to have “people permits” given to highly skilled people who really add to the Cayman product.  Which specific job/company they work for couldn’t be less meaningless.  Not only does this just make common sense I believe, it also raises the bar on who can receive a work permit.  It is VERY easy for a company to say “hey I have this job and I cannot find anyone to do it so I need to bring in an expat”.  Much harder for many of those jobs to put forward a case that those are unique skills where Cayman needs more of those people to compete globally.

      At the same time, where will be lower skilled jobs which do need to be filled where either the Caymanian workforce isn’t large enough to fill or perhaps Caymanians aren’t enticed to the job.  That would be a separate type of permit that truly is a “job permit”.  Those I would think should have stricter time limits to force companies to really consider if it would be better to perhaps offer better compensation to a entice Caymanian for this work than having to constantly cycle through expat workers for this job.  I’d say something like a 3-4 year limit.  Make no mistake, this quick rollover of unskilled labor would have cost.  Constantly recycling expats or making the jobs more attractive to Caymanians will certainly add costs, which in turn would make products and services related to these jobs more expensive for consumers.  The question is, is that a trade-off we are comfortable with in an attempt to lower Caymanian unemployment (and obviously there is no promise it would even accomplish that).

      The end goal, is the majority of permits would be the “people permits” bringing unique skills to the island and much less “work permits” where they just need some body to fill a position.

    • Anon says:

      Stir the pot. Ever thought of a training programme?

    • Anonymous says:

      Whoever you are,

      Thank you for thinking with your head and not your heart. Only by thinking with your head will you be able to accomplish what your heart wants. I only pray that people start to take their lives into their own hands instead of complaining to someone else that they don't have what they want or need.

    • Dred says:

      I honestly believe you are living in a cocoon. Simply put control. But it goes deeper. Do you not also wonder where the help is coming from? Have you taken note of where the expat are coming from now?

      Let me give you a clue because you don't seem to have one. The switch has been to the Philippines, Jamaica, Honduras and other places where the rate of pay is far less than Cayman.

      You want to know about economic sense. You are so naive. I have seen accounting jobs being advertised for CI$2,000 a month for Bachelors and 4 year degrees. These jobs typically pay anywhere from CI$4,000 to CI$7,000 a month some even higher depending on how many years you have post qualification. So why? Do you want to run the maths on that?

      No Work Permit (Minimum)

      CI$4,000 x 12 = CI$48,000 per annum + 5% (Employer) CI$2,400 = CI$50,400 (Not even looking at health)

      Work Permit

      CI$2,000 x 12 = CI$24,000 per annum + 5% (Employer) CI$1,200 = CI$25,200 + CI$4,000 (work permit) = CI$29,200

      Company just saved CI$21,200 on that one employee per annum. You could raise the salary CI$500 per month and still save over CI$14,000 per annum.

      Skills wise they are probably no different as there are many highly qualified Philippinos out there. They are oooh too happy to get that pay with the hope that later they can get even more once they have a foothold.

      Please, Please do not get me wrong. I am not anti expat but there is a level of naivety amongst our people here that is almost bottomless. Businesses know the numbers it’s the people who defend them who don’t REALLY know what’s happening.

      I have worked with and continue to work with Philippinos. I call many friends and I know they are only doing what I would do if I were in their position. They are doing nothing wrong. And that goes for all other nationalities that are doing the same.

      The problem is us. We need to recognize our issues and address them. We tend to stick our heads in the sand hoping it will just go away.

      We need politicians that are willing to risk looking the next elections to go in there and simply do what needs to be done. They need to say this needs fixing and here is how we will fix it and simply move forward. Will the CS like it? NO. Not initially at least. But if done properly it can be done where there is little to no overall effect on the employees.

      Here is our problem in as small a write up I can give you….

      We are stupid. We prefer CI$4,000 worth of revenues over CI$40,000 less expenses. We need to cut our CS by moving CS workers into the public sector in what would be work permit positions. We do this by:

      1. Deciding who to be made redundant
      2. Feature the employees in the newspaper but in reverse fashion and without names: ie

        1. Position: Cashier Experience: 10 years Status: Caymanian  Employee #: C120

      You could put other information also that is relevant.

      1. Any jobs coming in after the listing would be refused if they have not contacted the relevant # and interviewed candidates and are able to provide valid reasons for not hiring.
      2. Offer incentives for businesses to hire such as reduction in duties or licensing fees plus part of first 3 months salary.

      People we need this done. When nearly 50% of your budget accounts for labor you have a labor issue. You are not efficient in what you are doing.

      • Anonymous says:

        I have a big laugh when they steal them out.

      • Anonymous says:

        Firms want good hires not people no-one else wants.  There is a reason people find themselves on the reject pile and more often than not those are good reasons.  If you want me to hire people other than on quality of applicant, I'll outsource more and more functions away from Cayman. 

    • Anonymous says:

      I will attempt to answer your question #1 based on the experience I have seen here.  It is unfortunate but large employers alot of the time prefer to hire expats because they can control them more.  They can push an expat to work longer hours and to fulfill the employers every request even if it isn't part of their job.  Why?  Because they can use the work permit against the expat, the expat knows his employer can fairly easily just terminate him and cancel his work permit, it is alot more difficult to terminate a Caymanian. 

    • Two Cents plus Two MORE Cents says:

      I agree with much of what this poster has put up. The challenge is he/she believes most employers make decisions with the common and business sense that the writer speaks about. Here is something that will likely be rejected but is as true and prevalent as there are work permits in Cayman:

      One primary reason employers hire expats on work permits is because they are hiring friends, friends of friends, relatives and soon to be relatives. They can justify the work permit fee to their shareholder, Board or overseas boss by claiming that despite our most diligent recruiting efforts, the locals are not qualified. Then they help their friends, friends of friends, children of friends or relatives and soon to be relatives. By helping bring a new connected person in, that person  leaves an unemployed, high tax  situation in their own home country and come to Cayman. Do some community service, network, get their photo in the papers a few times and in no time, 7 years flies by. Voila! Then they all get Permanent Residency and they bring more friends and relatives. Take a good look into some organisations rank nepotism. Law firms do this all the time and the Immigration Board ignore the expat whistle blowing (the Caymanian whistleblowing are considered "ignorant complaints" and don't stand a chance).

      Another reason is that the expat employee is more compliant. They want to remain here and not go back home for a few years to improve their own economic situation. Expats are not better, more productive workers across the board. Usually more docile, agreeable and willing to do whatever the boss wants, ethical or not.

      In this country, the economic power is already in the hands of expats thanks to UDP from 2001-2005, 2009-2013 and now PPM will seal the deal by making Bic Mac's 2003 famous status grants look like a drip to the raging faucet PPM is about to turn on.

      Giving Permanent Residency to these 1500 people will worsen the economic situation for Caymanians and those who already have PR. It will definitely be the beginning of putting Caymanians on the 'reserve' in their own country.

       

      Thanks PPM.

      • Exactly says:

        It happens in a lot of professional firms … not only law firms. They hired and promote only people from their own background and nationality. And who is at the top of a lot of these professional firms? Not Caymanians.

  18. Anonymous says:

    What about those who have already rolled out but by October will not have been gone for a year yet? Will they be able to return and have their previous 7 years count as they have not been gone for 12 months? Can someone answer that.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, I would like to know more about this too.  To be even more specific, what about those that are due to be "rolled over" between now and October, will they be able to have a temporary extension, until this new law is amended?  Could someone get an answer to this question, or give me a name/number to call and I will do so.!

      I am all for allowing the work permit to be renewed up to 10 years, as long as there is an annual posting for that position, just in case there is a qualified Caymanian that is able and WILLING to do that job.  Granted, with that being said, a minimum wage needs to be set, as I know that is a deterrent for many Caymanians.  Working for $5 an hour does not work in a single parent household.  By the time you pay for kids’ lunches, gas to/from work, insurance, pension, it just doesn’t make any sense. As still no money to pay the light and water bills, and crimus! if you are renting, forget it! Minimum wage should be no less than CI$10 per hour. (The only complainants will be business owners, but you have to spend money, to make money, and if you have  a  happy staff, your business will benefit.)

      That’s another sore subject with me, why is it that the banks are giving 100% financing on car loans, but not on mortgages?  People are forced to pay rent for years, yet the bank won't see that as commitment?  Anyway, enough tangents for today, just a lot of things going on in my Caymanian mind. 

      By the way, I have nothing against expats; I welcome them to my community as it isdiversity that makes us grow.  I just want the employers to be fair, and give Caymanians the chance as well.

      Enough said for today.

      • Anonymous1 says:

        Okay, minimum wage jumps to $10 per hour…guess what happens to your electricity & water bills, guess what happens to your home gas & your fuel bills, guess what happens to your supermarket bill, your insurance bill, your rent, ….I could go on…all happens is your cost of living goes up…but not only does it goes up, but it goes up by that amount PLUS the mark-up by suppliers/employers….you might actually be in a worst situation.

         

  19. Chris says:

    why ten years?

    it appears that we are just kicking the can down the road again? How does this policy benefit Caymanians?

    • noname says:

      If you have to ask?

    • Anonymous says:

      That is the limit according to the UN convention on human rights on how long someone can reside without having a right to citizenship.

  20. Anonymous says:

    I just hope that the bar is set high for the grant of permanent residency and not anybody can apply and receive it as was with the cabinet grant of Caymanian status by the UDP administration. We also have to make sure that  qualified Caymanians a not pushed out of jobs as a result of “10” year work permits, how are we to ensure that 1 year after the issue of a “10” year work permit that a qualified Caymanian is not found for the job.

    Be careful Mr. Premier, because the revenue received by these permits may have to go back to Caymanians to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads when left jobless by 10 year permit/soon to be PR holders.  The grant of these work permits should be up to 10 years/min 2 years and assess on a skill by skill, job by job and industry basis. For example you have the volatile construction/tourism industries, when work is slow we cannot afford to have work permit holders fighting Caymanians for the few jobs available. How is that fair to have to fight in your own home for jobs ?

    • Anonymous says:

      And who decides on the quota of permit holders in each industry pray tell?  Someone representing the employers who want hi supply of labour and low wages or caymanians who want low supply and high wages?  Or the government that doesn't have a clue?  

    • Anonymous says:

      Everyone keeps talking about 10 year work permits, that is not how i read it. They have extended the 'term limit' to 10 years, the requirement for the job to be advertised every 2, 3 or 5 years still remains and will not be changed in line with the permit gransted by immigration. Therefore Caymanians will still have the option to apply for the job on a regular basis, this is just to remove the significant expenses of key employee for business and allow a broader range of people to apply for PR, which I have my doubts about. Anyone applying for PR should have to ensure they can provide for thier own medicial and retirement expenses, this is a major concern for letting people stay in a country.

  21. Anonymous says:

    These folks come here to WORK for us not to BECOME us….

    • Anonymous says:

      Until they reach and then they start to demand all sorts of rights.  

    • Anonymouss says:

      Expats don't come here to work FOR you. They come here to work WITH you, because no one else can do their job.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Caymanians, we should only have lifted this for folks who can pay to live here….all this will mean is that we will soon have another 3000 persons on Social services…cannot believe the new government fell for this Human Rights trap.

  23. Anonymous says:

    This is a silly move by government….what happens at 10 years is that everyone will apply and everyone will be ALLOWED permanent residency because there will be a HUMAN RIGHTS LAWSUIT confirming that it is not correct to have someone live here for 10 years and not call it home….just watch this space!!

    CAYMANIANS WAKE UP ON THIS STUPID, STUPID MOVE THAT WILL KILL US and reduce the possibility of our children ever getting jobs in our own country.

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe its more because Caymanians like you can't get or keep a job in ANY country.  Money wise its more economical to hire Caymanians so ALL Qualified and hard working Caymanians are working.  If you show your children how important a good education and good work ethic is they will have no problem getting a job here.  If you don't then they are your problem.  Stupid, stupid Caymanians are the same as stupid, stupid, Americans, Canadians, etc. etc..  They are a drain on their own societies.  Smart people work, Stupid lazy ones complain.  Lots of complaining here.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yep… Empty barrels make the most noise.  Just listen to the talk shows in the mornings.

        This morning one particular lady caller was talking about not getting a job she applied for. She did an FOI to see the reason and said it was all lies.

        I bet the real reason is because no-one wants her in their company stirring up sh** like she does on every forum available. She sounds like she would be more trouble than she is worth to an employer.

  24. Anonymous says:

    New government same old Crap.

    They have just made it possible for everyone to get cayman status.  We are the only country in this world to act as if everyone in the world are brothers however if any of these morons in charge had to live and work in a another country they would realize that Cayman is the only place where foreighners are treated as equal or better than locals.  Any Caymanian who is honest with themselves can see that in the workplace, in the courts with the police even in the prizons Caymanians are treated differently and not better.  Alden and his donkeys are no different than McKeeva and his donkeys when it comes to protecting Caymanians.

     

    Remember Caymanians Alden said that he would like to do away with workpermits on the whole and that Caymanians should compete in the job place as if we aren't doing that now.  This would be a great idea if Caymanians were in charge of businesses but we are not so it's a stupid idea but then again it's Alden's idea.

     

    p.s.

    I work harder and longer for less pay than the guy next to me and i am friggin smarter than him as well plus i have more education than he does from his education system but then i don't look like him or talk like him but our boss does.  Despite all of this i still come to work because i have to and i don't complain because i am not one of them and that's how they see me.  All of my friends are like me and i know that most Caymanians who read this will agree that they are too.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      You may be brighter, you may work harder, but you still have the sh*ite attitude that you are somehow superior which is why you cannot get the better job. Lots of people say they work hard, not many work smart. Lose the attitude and you may well prove yourself right.

  25. Anonymous says:

    Our population growth since 2003 when rollover was introduced has been exponential and is arguably unsustainable. It will be particularly important to see how high a bar the Government sets to get PR. With about 3,000 persons reaching the 8 year mark every year the answer for the great majority will still have to be an emphatic no if our society and economy are not to collapse.

    • Anonymous says:

      What populations stats are you looking at?  Far from growing exponentially since 2003 the population fell dramatically after Ivan and again in 2008 and has flatlined or grown very slowly ever since.

      • Anonymous says:

        The population did not fall after Ivan. It rose immediately by 10,000. People leaving for 3 months while their house was fixed got artificially treated by the ESO as them departing the Island permanently.

      • Anonymous says:

        Less than 40,000 when introduced, approaching 60,000 today.

  26. Anonymous says:

    Please confirm if the PPM have the sense to raise the criteria and qualifications for PR.

    Cayman cannot afford to increase its population without a sustainable development plan. We cannot afford to continue to import poverty and isolate or disenfranchise the local Caymanian population anymore than it already this.  Think of the attitudes and environments Fiji, Berumda, Bahamas.

    There must now be clear and stringent criteria which will be universally applied to all when dealing with PR applicants because the country cannot afford to add to the social services payments list. 

    • Anon says:

      There can't be any strict criteria because you just can't kick 3000 people out every year. You have to give  most of hem residence as the impact on small businesses would be huge. We couldn't afford to lose 2000 expats in one year! How will we be able to lose 3000 per year?

       

  27. Anonymous says:

    Expats are hired by the government through contracts, not work permits. Rollover does not apply to government expats.

     

    I believe that if the government had to hire their expats via the work permit system, then the work permit system would have been reformed years ago.

     

    The government cannot be taken seriously in this matter until it starts eating its own dog food.

  28. Anonymous says:

    unemployed caymanians are unemployed through their own choice……. big difference from real unemployment in other countries….

    • Anonymous says:

      I am guessing that you are not Caymanian. You have no idea what you're talking about. 

  29. Anonymous says:

    Good job PPM now I hope you also enforce the OMOV.  I hope this will work out in the best interest of everyone or we'll curse the day.

  30. Anonymous says:

    I wish they would start giving criminals 10 years!

  31. Anonymous says:

    It’s not about Caymanian not getting jobs. The government needs to focus on ensuring that Caymanians are qualified to do the jobs and that they learn to develop good working ethics. The problem I faced as an employer is that Caymanian most times is not qualified to do the job. And when they are qualified and you employ some of them you cannot rely on them because they only comes to work three days per week and when they do come to work they are either late or very late. Most cases you have to use an expatriate to oversee them and most times it’s the expat that is doing most of the work. Why pay salary to a Caymanian who is not doing the job, when I can just pay the expat who works so hard? Caymanians need to know that although it’s their country they need to know that jobs are not just sitting there for them to come and have access to without proper working ethics or qualification. The fact is I can take my business elsewhere or close down this branch. The government needs to invest in technical training for those Caymanians who does not make it to through the regular system of passing exams and going overseas for a degree to come back and work in their home country. If the government refuse to invest in technical studies, then if a company is going to employ a non qualified Caymanian, it means that the expat who will be training the Caymanian should have their work permit fees significantly reduced and Caymanians be paid a gratuity salary for one year until the employer is of the opinion that he or she can perform in that capacity. That’s just my take.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very good comment give them a dose of the truth. I know and can confirm this through experience I work with one who miss for over eight weeks during the school year and the same way she got her pay mean while someone else do their work, and no one do anything about it.

    • Anonymous says:

      10:25 Brilliant idea , please take your business back home where you belong.Caymanian want to see Alden sending back at least half of those whoare here  on w permits.

      • Anonymous says:

        Really 00.13…in my office that would mean 27 more Caymanians unemployed, roughly same as the ex-pats. You really are too smart.

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you!

       I am a Caymanian, and we all fail to admit we have a serious problems when it comes to qualifying ourselves and developing good working ethics. That what makes it so easy to hire expats.

  32. Anonymous says:

    just get it done already….there are too many people and families here living under the cloud of potential expulsion form the island…..

    the rollover has been a catastrophic failure for the cayman islands and has destroyed numerous friendships and relationships….

    • Anonymous says:

      Now that there was to be a massExodus of people leaving they deal with it. What about the people who have been here before Ivan – and stayed on island and worked through. These are the people that have already had to leave. A friend had to leave the island last month after over 20 years on island.

      I also think that the Government need to take time and talk to Expats, we do not all want residency, but we would like to have the cloud of uncertainty lifted from above our heads. The system as it stands is forcing people to apply for residency, which they are willing to do rather than leave. When it comes top their retirement time though, these same people will move back to their coutry of origin and spend their golden years here.

       

       

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Indeed 09.49…what did all these WP holders do wrong to get 10 years?? Hell of a sentence just for wanting to work..

    • Anonymous says:

      In reply to:Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/22/2013 – 09:49.                        You say that " there are too many people and families here living under the cloud of potential expulsion form the island….."  You know, life must really be bad back home  for some expat workers in the Cayman Is.,when they are thinking like this.Most  Caymanians understand that the expat workers come here seeking employment to obtain a better quality of life for themselves and their loved ones.Yet many will not admit it but instead put down Cayman at any and every opportunity.Instead of saying thank you for the opportunity to be a "guest "worker here , some seem to despise us and act as if they are somehow entitled to not only a job here , but also a right to live here with all the rights and privileges of the local populace (Caymanians). Please , earn the respect of Caymanians  and maybe you will be invited to join the "Caymanian Family".A little humility will do us all a bit of good.

  33. Whodatis says:

    Interesting.

    Question: Do we grant work permits for people to come and live in Cayman – or for the purpose of filling the role of a job?

    There is a difference!

    I ask because the prospect of a 10 year work permit seems quite long especially when (as examples) the average job tenure in the equivalent industry(ies) of the USA and UK is 3 – 4 years.

    I am certain many expats in the USA, UK and EU would be happy to forget about their annual stresses of renewing their job contracts and satisfying the prerequisites for a work permit extention.

    The Cayman government does not owe a single expat any favors as it concerns his or her ability to be graned permanent residence in this country. Imagine if Nigerians and Pakistanis tried that line of argument with the UK authorities today?!

    If a job is available that cannot be genuinely filled by a Caymanian, and the employer wishes to employ a foreign national – then so be it, no problemo. However, that work permit should be strictly linked to the terms of the contract of employment for the expatriate in question.

    If the company wishes to stick its head out, assume the potential liability and offer a prospective employee a 10 year contract – then after careful review, CIG could make a decision on that particular case.

    No individual should be granted a 10 year work permit by the government of the Cayman Islands. A "work permit" should be directly related to "work" … not an individual.

    Unless of course we are in the business of "people permits" … then this circus would make some degree of sense.

    • Anonymous says:

      To me, this simply means, anyone with a work permit can stay, work, invest in property (which most try to do in order to qualify for permanent residence) and in no time there will be nothing left here for our up and coming young ones!  I have never met an expat here working who wants to leave and go back home and even if they do, its not for very long before they are back here.  How can we ensure then that there is a "piece of the pie" for all Caymanians, i.e. thos os us born, raised, working our backside off to try to own property?  Please do not sell out Islands out, we have to endure with enough undesirables already and having to battle daily to even keep a job – I just don't get this Government smh !

    • Anonymous says:

      I can't seem to find where it mentioned that there will be 10 year work permits?

      Work permits are usually 1-2 years, the new amendments allow a work permit holder to stay for 10 years if needed, not a 10 year work permit

      There is a difference!

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah, keep screwing over the Filipino housemaids.

    • Anonymous says:

      Answer: for the purpose of filling the role of a job.

      Whodatis, you seem to be confused.

      This change is not to give everyone a ten-year work permit, it is to allow persons to stay here for UP TO ten years ON A work permit instead of the previous seven year limit. Most people will still be on one year permits (or one year permits with an automatic renewal provision, allowing them to stay for two years – provided their employer wants to keep them – before the application must be brought back to Government for a renewal).

      There are of course exceptions in those ten-year funds/reinsurance permits that McKeeva created (and which don't appear to have met their objective: http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/local-news/2013/02/21/ten-year-permits-fail-attract-new-financial-experts), but the vast majority of workers will continue to have their permits reviewed annually. The employer will have to prove annually that there is no Caymanian (or Permanent Resident, or person with a Residency and Employment Rights Certificate, or other designation that puts him/her above the work permit holder) to take the job and that particular expat is necessary.

      Also, work permits continue to be linked to a specific job, not to the individual. It will remain the same that expats can only be here and work within the conditions and strictures of their approved work permits (e.g. employer, job description and title, salary, etc).

      Did you read the same article that the rest of us did?

    • Anonymous says:

      I don't think the article mentions a 10 year permit anywhere.  I think it states the ability to hold a work permit for 10 years.  I think if you some research, you will also learn that in countries like the UK, if you are granted a work permit (regardless of where you are from – including Nigeria or Pakistan), then you are entitled after 5 continuous years to apply for residency and then naturalization.  Of course, it may not be easy to get that permit in the first place and then have it renewed every year, but once you meet the 5 years, you are entitled to apply.

    • Anon says:

      Where does it state that 10 year permits are going to be issued? The term limit for which a number of permits, say of 1 or 2 years duration, may be applied for is being raised to 10 years – not quite the same thing. Still, your righteous but unwarranted indignation did allow you to get a gratuitous dig in at the UK, so the effort of posting was not completely wasted.

    • Truth says:

      I don't think anyone wants a ten year permit.  Just a one year at a time permit till the job runs out.  If that takes longer than 10 years and they are still happy here then it must have been meant to be.  No expat expects to take away a job from a Caymanian or be beyond the normal job compitition for what jobs we have.  As Caymanians get better educated, trained, and start moving up in skill sets its only normal to see that they will take over more and more of the jobs that Caymanian businesses have used expat skills to keep things running smoothly.  Jobs will be harder to get and keep for expats in the future because of this.  Its the normal way of things.  No need to Imagine that expats are here to take what can not be given.  keeping  off island skill to keep things running well as Caymanians catch up in education and skills is a smarter move.  And there will always be a need for new skills and experiance not available here.

    • Whodatis says:

      My reply to the majority of the respondents to my post is as follows:

      "Human rights."

      (Although something tells me that many would prefer if we Caymanians failed to spot that little blip on the rader at this point.)

    • Anonymous says:

      There is a much more straightforward fix.  Require expats to leave the island for three months in between two jobs and call that a break in stay.

  34. Anonymous says:

    This straight-forward one-approach-for-all system will in itself create more efficiency in terms of both process and running costs for the immigration department.  In reality, as cruel as it sounds, those in unskilled occupations, unless they are well-paid, protected by good pensions and highly unlikely to prove a burden to the public purse on retirement, shouldn't be getting permanent residency.  I feel that points should also be awarded to those who truly integrate with Caymanian society, evidenced by character references from well known and respected Caymanians within the community.  It shouldn't be all about walking dogs and owning houses.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are missing one critical point….now that we have Human Rights built into our constitution it will be against human rights to kick someone out who has been here for 10 years!!!  We have just opened the flood gates and a population growth that we cannot sustain….its that simple. 

      • Anon says:

        Is this speculation or do you have a relevant legal authority from the European Courts of Justice to prove this?  I always understood 10 years to be on the borderline, but not automatically constituting a breach of human rights.

        • Anonymous says:

          Look back…UK wanted us to set that 10 year limit to 5 years because of Human rights…..just wait and see what will happen…one good QC from London and its the flood gates openning.

        • Anonymous says:

          I will not risk the future of my home with ” borderline.” We should stay clear of that cliff.

  35. Anonymous says:

    Ok let me get this straight, after being in office for 2 months this government could deal with expat issues but yet we still have caymanians without jobs.  What is this governments priority , it is very clear they are more worriedabout their revenue than finding a solution to caymanians unemployment situation. 

     

    Caymanians can't pay utility bills, can't feed children and don't think about going social services for help but let's make the expats and businesses happy. Hon premier said on cayman 27 his first priority was getting ppl back to work, ppl will say anything to get elected. Well we got change but not sure it is for the better!!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Priority is around 4000 resdients due to leave in next year, imagine the knock on effect to local businesses schools, rental income, property market of losing 10% of the population in one year.

      Mass unemployment for Caymanians and Caymanian owned businesses going bust. Drop in revenue for government means massive cuts in expenditure, that means CS job cuts, who are mostly Caymanian.

      And most of these permit holders lost are skilled workers who cannot beeplaced from the local population as they are not enough locals with the appropriate qulaifications, skills and experience

      • Anonymous1 says:

        4000 leaving and 4000 being REPLACED……. if the jobs are here those that leave will simply be replaced….that is just a scare tactic–THINK ABOUT IT.

      • Anonymous1 says:

        This is nonsense. If the jobs are here those that leave will simply be replaced….who fooled you on that one??? Total rubbish. Think before you blog. Its the people leaving not the jobs.

      • Anonymous says:

        My poor Country. Where did you go? From the 3000 rush status grants we inherited mostly all unskilled and poor people. Theres no way we can have a good country crime free with all poor people. We need a balance. When theres no jobs people are going to steal and kill. I say we need more of the Dart types around.

    • Anonymous says:

      I hope that they will not get permanent residence based on community work, because that is a joke.  They brag how they join the clubs and after they get status or whatever, they cant be bothered.  It is only a convenient ploy.  Stop kissing these people back sides and deal with our problem.

      We have too many on social services, who got status in the gold rush.   Wake up, it is time that the PPM does something for their people.  Job seekers, form a group and March.

    • Anonymous says:

      You will have Caymanians without jobs for the forseeable future no matter what you do. Take a look who the unemployed are.

    • Caymanian Concern says:

      The Key mployee grants killed Caymanian's chances of getting through any glass ceilings so I am glad that is gone.

      However, I have heard that each job advertisment in the newspaper is receving at least a DOZEN Caymanian applicants so we are hurting and hungry!  

      Until we get back to near zero unemploymed Caymanians, we need to push back on our Immigration Boards and Staffing Boards that keep allowing work permit renwals.

      Think about this….it cannot be a 10 year guarantee!  That young Caymanian who just graduated from University needs a chance too and if there is an ex-pat in the role for 10 years or longer HOW will they ever get a chance?  They won't.

      The Govt needs to get our locals back to work, period.  Favortism and cronyism need to go away.  Locals need work and it is not just at the construction and domestic level.  We need white collar jobs being filled by locals.  It is the middle class that is suffering the most!

      Only then will we solve our social services being overspent and our crime problems too.  

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you think jobs are magically created because you want them to be?? How do you create jobs? Stabilize the private sector.  It's not rocket science.

    • Anonymous says:

      If these same Caymanians who cannot pay utility bills, cannot fee children, etc. learnt to live on a budget, they would be able to manage.  They don't have enough money, but would put the aircondition on very cold all day and night.  They don't have enough money, but would not cook meals at home and will only buy food from outside for themselves and their children.  But of course, they do have money to go on vacations!! If they learnt how to do manage and live within their income, they would be able to pay their utilities bills (which would reduce to a great extent) and to feed their children healthy home made meals.  The key is in learning to limityour expenses, to less than or equal to your earnings.

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually, I hate to say this but looking around some of Caymanian friends I can see evidence of outliving your budget.  Example.  My friends down the road are both unemployed.  She has three babies, a fourth on the way.  They live in rented accommodation.  They have a huge Ford 150 truck that eats fuel.   They eat out at fast food restaurants frequently and she is contstantly buying new clothes, shoes and handbags.  He likes to spend his money on alcohol.  They both frequently come to ask me to lend them money.

        My boyfriend and I work.  We have no children.  We live in rented accommodation and we both share a small car.  We rarely eat out except perhaps once a month around payday when we feel we can afford it. I can't remember when either of us last bought some new clothes or shoes, or drank an alcoholic beverage.  We never go round looking money off our friends or anyone.  We live within our means and do without if we cannot afford it.

        When I sitand think about it, most of my friends fit into the description in the first paragraph, not the second – sad.

  36. Truth says:

    Finally!  Some intelligence from CIG. Perhaps they will be the "one" to bring Grand Cayman into the 21st century.  Third world politics will no longer work with the customers of the modern world.  And without customers Cayman has no other income.  Just like the rest of the world.

    • Whodatis says:

      The fact that you referred to this country as "Grand Cayman" lets us all know that you are not to be taken seriously and are most likely the type of self-serving individual that should never be granted a work permit in the first place.

      Third world ya mudda nah-nay!

      Arrogant p.o.s. … do yourself a favor – invest in a map, buddy.

      • Anonymous says:

        No, I think the poster was acknowledging it would take much more to drag the Brac into the 21st century.

      • Anonymous says:

        Grand Cayman is where the issue is.

      • Anonymous says:

        The poster was simply implying that no one could bring the Brac into the 21st century so relax. 

      • Truth says:

        I was actually just refering to the single larger island that is called "Grand Cayman" on the map.  I am glad that you don't see my point.  And that you are afraid on me.

    • Anonymous says:

      No country in the world that I know allows itself to be flooded with manual labourers or even skilled workers…not even the great democratic USA….Their "H" visa for work has some serious conditions on it….this actually shows the LACK of intelligence from CIG unfortunately…add human rights to the scenario and 6,000 true Caymanians will be looking for jobs in 5 years. Stupid move with the new Human Rights provisions in place.

      See for yourself….here is the USA Work visa link:

      http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1271.html

  37. PATRIOT_CYM1 says:

    CNS: "eliminate …the way work permits are processed to ensure Caymanians are given the opportunity to participate fully in the local economy."  I always felt we need a Job Administrator or Employment Board, some entity that will sit between Labor Department, and Education Department and have the powers to block the Immigration Board from granting permits. So when an employer comes with permit applications for foreign workers to come here and work with free incentives, the Job Administrator or Employment Board's role, will simply review a correlated registry of names from both Labor and Education Department of those Caymanians that are unemployed and/or have degrees so that the permit applications are not granted without considering Caymanians available for the job. And here's the key:  if the employer refuse to accept any Caymanian from the qualified list of names, then it is the duty of the Immigration Department not to grant them permits otherwise no matter how influential or renown that employer is. ********  Alden, implement something like what I described above and you will get fierce opposition from the private sector; however, I assure you in less than two years, 90% of the Caymanians unemployed will find a job. 😉 

    • A.C. says:

      Alot of people here will thumbs you down, but I bet if it was their country and they were unemployed, they will concur wholeheartedly with what you comment. Two thumbs Up ! !

    • Anonymous2 says:

      Hmmmm. . theysay that the rollover policy was passed to guarantee jobs for Caymanians so I heard. On the contrary, I know Sharon would say it is really to control population and massive grants of Permanent Residency. But now I'm thinking if we had such a register of names of locals without jobs, and the employers are mandated to consider these names before considering expats, that would mean we wouldn't need a rollover policy again???  Because Caymanians will be guaranteed jobs like what the primary commenter above said. And as for the rollover in place to control the population, I think we need more population here so we can have money flowing – people buying and selling on this island again.

      • Anonymous says:

        Everyone has forgotten David Ritch saying (honestly, but non politically correctly) that Rollover was to prevent low socio economic Jamaicans ( and their families) ending up here on Social Services.

    • Anonymous says:

      Ezzard came up with that similar idea regarding a Job Zhar, and everyone criticized him for it. 

      • Anonymous says:

        Czar or Tsar.

      • Anonymous says:

        What Ezzard and those who support him and those who go on and on about brilliant Caymanians without jobs really want is a sort of Commission that FORCES employers to take Caymanians whether they are any use or not, just because they are unemployed. Why don't you all just come out and say it instead of pussyfooting around. Jobs for expats ONLY after ALL Caymanians are employed.

    • Anonymous says:

      Work Permits are directly conneced to labour, and should not be approved through the Immigration Board.  Utilise Labour Dept to deal with work permits.  That department should have and undated listed of all the unemployed and their qualifications.  No permit should be issued or renewed unless it passes through the Labour Office.

    • Anonymous says:

      Good discussion..however there is a big difference between being qualified and being able or willing.

      We all have to be very careful that in the much needed drive to get Caymanians employed that we do not end up putting people in positions that they dont want or frankly speaking, are too lazy to do properly. This would make an effective tax on the employer, and in the worst cases lead him to leave the island as they cannot get the job done properly. I am careful to state that this is just a small section of our society.

       

      However what is clearly neeed is more vocational training, more "international training" (ie placements overseas so people can see how things work outside the small walls of these islands. This should start during school at the 14-16 year old range, and continue until end of school and into university for those that go.

       

      Likewise schoolong for building, plumbing, electrical, haridressing, catering, tourist trades should be given priority for those who are more suited..there is no real need for those kind of permits on the island. But these also need international experience too…maybe some reciprocal schemes with other nations?

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh my dear how out of touch you are. Such a department does exist and always has. It is now know as the National Workforce Development Agency and they do sit on the Immigration Board and they do object to many work permits however the Immgration Boards are a power unto themselves and they grant what ever permits they want to grant and do not need the NWDA's permission. So you are not asking Alden to do anything that is not already in place. Now getting Immigration or the Immigration Board to comply now thats a whole nother story.

    • Anonymous says:

      90% of the uneamployed Caymanians are unemployable.

    • Anonymous says:

      DER already has to sign off a lot of the times when someone wants to hire an expat on a permit. They have to confirm that no one in their list fits the criteria, or that so-and-so was qualified and went for an interview and then the employer has to justify why that person couldn't be hired.

    • Anonymous says:

      Every time that a work permit is up for renewal the expat positions are advertised for in the paper for two weeks. Why waste money and precious time to set up a whole other government board which will only be a unnecessary middle man??

      Grab a paper and check for a job yourself! Show some initiative!