WORC and border control set to go live
Cayman Islands Department of Immigration
(CNS): The government has announced that the legislative changes creating the new employment agency Workforce Opportunities Residency Cayman (WORC) and the revamped Customs and Border Control (CBC) Agency will become effective next month. After postponing the planned 1 January start date, officials have now confirmed the Immigration (Transition) Law, 2018 and the Customs and Border Control Law 2018, which passed in the Legislative Assembly in November, will be brought into force on 1 February by Order of Cabinet. The laws and regulations provide the statutory framework for regulating migration management and border control during a transition phase.
They complete the transfer of functions, authorities and responsibilities from the Department of Immigration to WORC and CBC, which both become official entities on Friday, 1 Feb.
“Although existing immigration and customs-related regulations are saved under those laws, new regulations are required to reflect the separation of immigration management and border control and to give effect to new requirements,” said Wesley Howell, the chief officer in the premier’s human resources ministry which oversees both these new agencies.
The commencement orders and regulations begins the delivery on government’s commitment to fulfill its policy objective to efficiently enhance and streamline the current Immigration processes, and provide intelligence-driven border control, Howell added.
Meanwhile, WORC Interim Director Sharon Roulstone said the new agency was committed to delivering excellence and aspiring to be a World Class service provider. “It will be a year of growth for staff members and new opportunities for all customers we serve, and we are excited to get started,” she said.
Charles Clifford, who has transitioned from collector of customs to the CBC director, said, “Our obligation as a new border control agency is to strengthen the security and stability at the frontlines of all Islands, and to ensure we continue our legacy as a safe and prosperous country for all.”
The two leaders and the ministry will be extending public information and education campaigns to ensure all stakeholders impacted by the changes are fully aware of the laws and new regulations.
The Customs and Border Control (Visas, Entry and Landing) Regulations supplement the Customs and Border Control Law, 2018 in matters relating to entry and landing, asylum, visas, deportation and other border control matters. The regulations also provide the ability to apply to the Director of CBC for Visitor Work Visas (VWV).
The requirements and entitlements of the VWV facility will remain as they were under immigration legislation, but authority for granting and managing applications is transferred from the chief immigration officer to the director of the CBC and his officers.
The new immigration-related regulations contain provisions for temporary work permits (TWP) and business visitor permits (BVP) to be submitted to and processed by WORC during this transition phase. The application process and forms will remain largely the same, until the online systems come online later in 2019.
The Passport and Corporate Office will remain a part of the ministry as a stand-alone department.
During the initial stages of the transition, services for the CBC and WORC will continue to be offered from the current locations.
The Immigration (Transition) (Temporary Work Permits and Business Visitors’ Permits) Regulations, 2019 and the Customs and Border Control (Visas, Entry and Landing) Regulations, 2019 provide detail to a range of matters contained in both laws.
For more information, please visit www.immigration.gov.ky, www.customs.gov.ky, www.nwda.gov.ky or contact the CBC at (345) 949-4579 and WORC at (345) 949-8344.
Category: Local News
Quien habla espanol?
No problema Chica just come to my office and my friend in immigration will get you a permit.
There are some really helpful members of staff that work with Immigration currently. Especially the ones that work at Cayman Centre. One lady in particular always answers her emails and tries her best to help. I hope thoose few remain because they actually treat you like humans and paying customers. Some at the elgin ave location treat you like scum. They can go.
The combining of the Customs and Immigration Departments in the UK have proven Not to being working, thus many parts of England are reviting back to two separate departments.
Why then do we think it will work here?
Hopefully it will not be another expensive ****up like the the changing of the schools into academies with more incompetent chiefs than indians.
Following the UK has not proven to be the best…..WORC looks very promising. Many countries successfully combine customs and immigration. We aren’t the UK.
more civil service nonsense….
can’t remember seeing this expansion of the civil service mentioned in the miller-shaw or e&y reports????
What happen to the Cayman Islands Coast Guard? please update us on when that will be up and running. Cns can you find out please.
10:10am
So right!
Found a job for an ex-political opponent, tick
Found a job for the wife of a key PPM supporter, tick
lodgetastic!
Please update us on the status of the BVI people that Government brought to Cayman !!! I really hope they are gone…..
The BVI people were professionals, the sort of immigrant spenders we need. You want to replace them with NAU candidates ?
“Going live”…, what a joke. This the same department that hasn’t acted on deporting a criminal????!!! Allowing him to strike again!!!
https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/01/23/jail-for-changing-date-in-passport/
Keniel is a good family man just trying to support them. When he gets out he’s got a job. He knows that all he needs to do is get up with me. #supportingCaymanians
Good family man just trying to get a job – who went to jail for burglary and had to do a counselling program after being charged with assault, quite part from a previous immigration offence. So this is his fourth encounter with the court system. Not a surprise then that he hasn’t qualified for PR under the new points system despite having Caymanian children. Not sure how you can say he has a job when he gets out when he has no work permit or PR, or how you can use a hashtag of supporting Caymanians when he clearly isn’t one. The amazing thing about this is how come he was even able to stay on the island after the first offences let alone why he wasn’t deported after release from jail, given his permission to stay had already expired by the time he got out. Does no one check that?
No, no one checks that and then police do nothing. The result is that there are numerous foreign nationals wondering around with previous convictions. As usual, no accountability.
Cast stones you must!
It is against his human rights to seperate him from his kids by sending him off island. Let him stay and be with his kids.
Until he breaks into your house.
Government seem to be fond of the phrase “world class”, unfortunately in many aspects “third world class” would be more approprtate.
How will this change the way in which Customs processes incoming goods? I skimmed through the above legislation, but didn’t see where that is addressed.
I’ve been told that processing packages and goods will change, but I haven’t found anyone yet that knows specifically how this will work.
There’s a reason why this regime is dead-set on expanding the GT port operations – bigger ships and, ideally a cargo volume so large that there’s no way for our CBC to keep up with scrutinizing returning northbound “empty” containers.
Okay. I’m 75% ears. What is that reason, since you clearly have your fingers to the pulse of the gowerment.
I like the way they’ve worked this.