WORC confirms over 24,200 current permit holders

| 28/04/2021 | 143 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): WORC has confirmed that, according to its latest figures, there are currently 24,221 work permit holders in the Cayman Islands, despite the closure of the tourism sector and what was believed to be a reduced resident population due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Officials noted that they are able to supply the number of permit holders and permanent residents at any time and can confirm whether any specific individual was on island on a given day or is still on island. But a recent FOI request made by a CNS reader about the number of people here, including Caymanians, was refused by the department because of the way data is collected. Nevertheless, officials said that important immigration information is collected.

The reader’s request was for how many people were in Cayman on a specific day in March, broken down by Caymanians, PR holders, work permit holders, their dependents and visitors. But the request was refused under a provision of the freedom of information law that enables civil servants not to spend what would be considered an unreasonable time period.

This use of the provision has been criticized as it is sometimes a reflection of poor record keeping. When CNS contacted Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) about what appeared to be a failure to collect essential immigration information, officials said that the system is not designed to run the number of people as a whole who are on island on a given date.

WORC officials said it was the was the “system limitations” that prevented them from presenting the information in the way the applicant had asked. They had therefore refused the FOI on the basis that it would take many days and many hours of staff time, which would amount to “an unreasonable diversion of the resources”.

“The department is able to confirm whether any specific individual was on island on any given day or is currently on island,” a spokesperson for the department told CNS. “Unfortunately, the decision communicated to the FOI applicant did not clearly explain this.”

The department said that they can, however, provide the number of people broken down by work permit and permanent residency on any given day more or less immediately.

According to those statistics, on 26 April, in addition to the 24,221 work permit holders, there were 5,820 permanent residents. The groups cover more than 120 nationalities but Jamaica still makes up the largest group of foreign workers at more than 10,500. The next biggest group is people from the Philippines at 3,839, followed by those from the UK at just over 1,600.

See the full break-down of current WP and PR holders by nationality in the CNS Library.


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Category: Jobs, Local News

Comments (143)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Wayne please consider seriously the disregard to the rights of the citizens for some security of employment in these posts. This is the entitlement the guests to our country now have thanks to Alden/Marco/Roy. WORC isn’t working.

  2. Anonymous says:

    A F**** disgrace!

  3. Anonymous says:

    Thought there was more.

  4. Anonymous says:

    This is why I tell anyone younger than 18 to do college courses online at their own pace while working. Work experience is the only thing that will get you ahead in this age, that includes other places in the world, not just Cayman.( of course exceptions like Dr.s,lawyers etc.) There are things you learn at a job that college courses cant teach. Nothing is wrong with starting as a courier or runner at these big companies. If they see you are interested in advancing, they usually help you achieve that goal.

    • Anonymous says:

      Absolutely.

    • Anonymous says:

      However every country strives to provide all their people with including their inexperienced young with opportunities in their own country…we stopped doing that with Alden, Marco, and Roy.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Even WORC’s new procedures are rife with holes for abuses…it takes the slimy recruiters no time to supply service taking advantage of those. F…..g bottom feeders.

  6. Slacker says:

    The good news is that, as I get older and possibly confused, I can just call and find out if I am here or not.

    • Anonymous says:

      Are any of us really here though?

      • Anonymous says:

        Where’s “here” anyway?

      • Anonymous says:

        Now is the accepted time for an audit of government entities and authorities to be carried out. Too many foreign employees are being recruited in establishments eg. CIMA, HSA and other government departments. University graduates apply for jobs and are never given the courtesy of a.telephone call because of expats networking and securing the jobs for their friends. It has to stop. They are using job security as a means of being a permanent fixture here in the Cayman Islands and indigenous caymanians are by passed. Think about !

        • Anonymous says:

          These agencies are regularly audited. Request the reports from the Internal Audit Service

          • Anonymous says:

            Think, who are doing the audits?

            Of course, numbers will be doctored. Underemployed Caymanians are still counted as employed!!

            While foreigners set up shop in HR departments all over to conveniently only hire their friends (mostly more foreigners) for the top jobs, and delegate Caymanians to the lowest positions.

            Locals are tired of all the goalpost moving in their OWN country. These kind of foreigners would never get away with it back home, probably why they are emboldened to do it here.

        • Say it like it is. says:

          4.52pm More hot air these comments are rolled out every week on CNS without ever providing any evidence.If Caymanians at WORC were doing there job, this situation, rare as it is would not exist.

      • Anonymous says:

        Everywhere is dead, not what I was expecting

  7. Anonymous says:

    I haven’t read all the previous comments yet, so this is a ‘first read’ opinion.

    Caymanian educated honest basic staff: “Cant’t do that”.
    Caymanian Work ethic: “Not my problem Mon.”
    Caymanian Educated Supervisor: “Don’t try to investigate that question, I’ll look bad.”
    Caymanian Gov’t Bureaucrat: “Bury it, I’ll look bad.”
    Caymanian Minister: “What, Who, Where, Why, How, When – Get back to me and I’ll look into it…” Chug, Chug! Smack the waitress… “Oh wait, don’t report that, I’ll look bad. Never mind, I can just buy enough votes…”

    Sound familiar! YUP, that’s our Speaker! Duly elected by less than 50 town fools, and welcomed and promoted by 10 additional CIG fools (Who campaigned AGAINT him).

    Can’t make this up.

    Cayman – We have no right anymore to scorn foreign money taking over. We are worthless to govern ourselves!!!!!!!

    Want to dispute? Look at the last election positions before and after. We are truly not capable to self-govern.

    OK, now I’ll read what others have postulated!

    • Anonymous says:

      You know what you have but you don’t know what you will get. When you have decent representatives who can represent you abroad you cry them down and now that you have what you selected (not all of them)who you thought was the best, you are complaining. Cry me a river of tears, and ask why those on the opposition wasn’t dumped. The one who promised, that every caymanian would have a job and when he returned as Premier for the second time, he made sure every law was against caymanians. Let him sit on the back bench as opposition and dream of his minister position he had given himself in the 2021 government.
      He tried to destroy others and now he can enjoy the results of his derogatory remarks.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Let’s try “ A day without immigrants” and see how it goes ..

    • Anonymous says:

      excellent idea! 24,000 fewer cars on the road would be great. Maybe those of us qualified Caymanians can get jobs in our chosen fields instead of remaining unemployed or under submission by work permit holders.

      • Anonymous says:

        With foreigners a lot of jobs will go too. Give it a thought. Especially after covid shifted everything. Not like you will have 24k jobs available waiting for you.

      • Anonymous says:

        What is your chosen field?

      • BeaumontZodecloun says:

        In that scenario, do you imagine that the NAU recipients would stand tall for their country and jump into working underpaid jobs? Would you, for $6 an hour?

        I hate to break it to you this way, but if you are a qualified Caymanian you can TAKE a job from someone on WP in your chosen field. I would work anywhere I had to to support my family. The WP holders aren’t the enemy, and whether you acknowledge it or not, we all need them. They are ALL requested by a Caymanian.

        You will never find me lamenting my unemployment, except during our curfew. I was unemployed then.

        A middle ground is necessary. It’s a weird statistic, but I find it to be bizarre that we have more people on WP than we do electors. Not sure what it means, if anything, other that we need many more people that can to register to vote, and many more people that can to work jobs that are held by people on work permit.

        • Anonymous says:

          Sorry, wrong. There are no provisions in the current immigration act or any previous laws (that I know of) that provides for the Boards or the Director to force a company to hire a Caymanian. That is the real secret. Immigration can deny all the work permits where suitable Caymanians have applied, but there is no legal mechanism to force the company to employ Caymanians. It is my experience that most companies will just get rid of the role, retitle it to get who they want or outsource it. Caymanians cannot just TAKE a work permit role as you stated.

      • Anonymous says:

        Sometimes I wonder where are all those unemployed but skilled and educated Caymanians? When I was on a work permit, during 3 renewal cycles, not a single Caymanian applied for my job. Not even one who was not qualified. Just simply 0 applied. Last year in my new company we did 3 rounds of recruitment before one Caymanian applied. This person was qualified and interviewed well but when we gave an offer the person turned it down citing a better offer from another company. And then we went overseas because local recruitment efforts didn’t even yield applications.

      • Sarah says:

        Ah here lies the problems…qualified does not equate to experience…most expats have years of experience for the roles they are in…locals qualify from university and expect sr manager roles….

        24.000 few expats…who’ll do your nails, landscape your gardens, wash your cares, care for your children??? I don’t know 1 local who is interested in these service type roles

        • Anonymous says:

          Sarah, then your entitled ass is not looking very far as I know of many Caymanians who would be grateful and thrive in those jobs

    • Anonymous says:

      No one is saying that dick so shut up.

    • Anonymous says:

      A lot of apartments will be repso by banks due no one to pay the rents…..

      • Anonymous says:

        12:34 that would be great. Caymanians can finally have the opportunity to purchase some of these places.

    • Anonymous says:

      A day without immigrants is like a day without our toilets being cleaned.

    • Anonymous says:

      6:10 pm. When we were the islands that time forgot, we sure as hell got along with one another, survived the storms of life and were resilient. We forge ahead without outside influence and made it to the top in whatever we launched out to get done. Our people were dependable, hard working and reliable persons. We were not dependent on immigrants and if and when they came, they were greeted and accepted with open arms. Those immigrants were not of the mindset of the Johnny come lately, who are here to conquer and suppress the natives.
      Don’t go to another man’s country and try to run things your way. Would you like me to come and try and change your way of life in your country? NO!

  9. Candid says:

    To date, there has never been a single government that sufficiently cared about this. Caymanians are routinely pissed on by successive governments. Caymanians know what they want, but no government has ever done what Caymanians want in this regard. Austin Harris (sorry pal) used to say that COVID departures were an opportunity to have Caymanians take over those positions. It has not happened because the system and unwillingness to change remain the same. When the population gets to 100, 000, most of that will come from outside the islands.

    • Anonymous says:

      Most Covid departures were lower-waged frontline jobs. Sadly, too many Caymanians wrongly think those jobs are beneath us.

      Any professional jobs that opened up would require appropriately educated/qualified persons to fill them. We have LOTS of educated/qualified Caymanians but most of those are already in jobs.

      The problem is that we have a large group of people that want those professional jobs (and think birthright should give them the jobs) but they’re only capable of the aforementioned low-waged jobs so they bitch and complain about permit holders.

      • Anonymous says:

        7:30am – THIS. This comment right here sums it up perfectly and is why educating our children is of paramount importance.
        So take a look at who is in charge of that. By the way, what is HER level of education? Genuine question. Any one know? Hopefully more than our speaker who dropped out of school at 13. (and it is obvious…) But school doesn’t teach emotional intelligence. That come from how your raised and how you deal with life.
        And that is all.

        • Anonymous says:

          ARGH!!! So annoying. This is why you should proofread your post before posting!!

          *Anyone
          *comes from
          *you’re

          (I am 10:42am)

    • Anonymous says:

      Nobody is getting pissed on. Check your privilege and stfu

  10. Anonymous says:

    Since many people still do not believe that we have 8% unemployment, I propose a color-coded unemployed protest: i.e. blue t-shirts for trade, white t-shirts for anyone in corporate, red for those that completed degrees and still cannot find jobs, etc. How many more people need to lose their homes to foreclosure, before WORC gets teeth?!

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m going to let you in on a secret about recently completed degrees. By definition they qualify you for absolutely nothing more than an entry level job in your field. And that’s if your degree is from a good school and you got good grades.

      You have no experience in the field, no knowledge besides what your degree conveys, and no track record of success in the field. How many companies here have ANY entry level job openings? There’s only a small handful large enough to justify such roles and they cherry pick the best of the best.

      When I got out of school I sent resumes and applied to close to 50 places. I was interviewed by 5, offered a job by 2 and headhunted for 2 more.

      Stop complaining about all the kids coming back who can’t find work. Nobody’s fault but their own…that’s why they call it work. Not to mention they all go off to schools built and funded by countries who’s citizens you hate to have here. Just a nice twist of irony.

      • Anonymous says:

        If I could award you 10000000 likes I would. Parents have stopped teaching their children this. I have had a job since I was 14, I never was offered anything but an entry level position and worked up the ladder by proving myself. Not to mention, it usually took a bit to get someone to hire me in the first place so I applied where ever I could. A degree can open the door, but you must walk through and continue your journey.

        I don’t see teenagers pushing lawn mowers for cash. I used to make $100 on the weekends mowing 5 lawns. While I know that can be hard here because the landscapers are abundant but there has to be somewhere teenagers can work in the summer besides just bagging groceries (even that is slack). Honestly, where can our children learn a work ethic before being thrown to the real world?

  11. Anonymous says:

    Probably no surprise to anyone, but these numbers simply don’t stack up with the governments estimates of total population. The combined total of WP holders and PR holders is just over 30000. The Elections Office have 23,609 electors, all of who are meant to be adult Caymanians. And given the known problems with Caymanians not signing up for the register, that is presumably significantly short of the true number of adult Caymanians. That’s 53650 people as against the governments estimate of a total population of 65000, and it doesn’t count Caymanians below 18, adult Caymanians not registered to vote, WP holder dependents, and PR holders children.

    • Anonymous says:

      Nor does it count hundreds of “ghosts”, visitors, snowbird property owners, foreign prisoners, overstayers, or refugees. It is time for some proper counting, and accountability. And no, the proposed ESO operated census is neither. They have long contributed to the problem and failed or even refused to attempt to provide numbers based on reality rather than imperfect statistical analysis.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Question: Whatever happened to the Business Staffing Plan and the employers’ commitment to TRAIN Caymanians? If that was being enforced, we would have a lot more Caymanians now poised to take over many of these positions. Start enforcing it. These employers have gotten away with murder for years using this BSP.

    • Anonymous says:

      The answer to your question likely begins with a C, ends with N, and has a double R a third of the way through.

    • Anonymous says:

      I am Caymanian and was finally promoted. (Training on the job) I mean it took 2 extra years after I qualified and I had to ask what the hold up was, but at least I made it.
      So it DOES happen!! And certain companies are better at it than others. (Think bigger names)

  13. Anonymous says:

    Far too many Work Permits for our population!!

    So, past leaders and the present Speaker have called for increase in population- up to 100,000! That’s total BS!!

    Real solutions are:

    1. ENFORCE existing statutes regarding the training of Caymanians in ALL fields where work permits are held. Apply realistic discretionary requirements appropriate to the job, e.g. training for a waitress – within 6 months/training for a qualified accountant 4-6 years, etc. Immediate to short-term for implementation.

    2. Improve education systems academically and also include vocational training, so that school-leavers will be fully prepared to enter job markets from necktie jobs to tradesman jobs. Utilize Michael Myles and others like him!!! Short to mid-term implementation/Mid-long term for results.

    3. Establish apprenticeship programs with ALL employers (categorized by staff size), where possible. Large employers should be made to accept X number of (properly prepared) apprentices after each high school graduation, smaller employers would be given discretionary flexibility. NO employer with more than 3-4 staff should be exempt. Short-mid term implementation.

    4. Devise and establish alternate revenue streams to defray dependence on WP fees, e.g. regulated marijuana industry. Short-mid term implementation.

    5. DO NOT buy-into the belief that increasing the population is the answer!! Immediate implementation.

    This is not rocket science and there is NOTHING preventing any Government from implementing any or all of the above suggestions – except their WILL!

    Premier Panton and PACT Cabinet, now is your chance to show how much you care for the Cayman people and our generations of the future. STOP paying lip service like all past Govts and DO SOMETHING constructive towards securing a good chunk of the work-force pie for Caymanians!!

    Start by getting JOCC some GREAT Education advisers, good and proven plans appropriate to our Caymanian experience and commit her to implement them!!

    Until Caymanians are educationally prepared for performing in ALL sectors of the job market and until WP fees are not such an important source of revenues, NOTHING will change except WP numbers will continue to rise!!

    • Anonymous says:

      You have more job openings than Caymanians, in fact every Caymanian in age of work could held more than 2 jobs and you still will have vacancies.

      Then you have the educational issues, you cannot open a school for 1 student of each carreer.

      Face it, Cayman is small with limited resources, you need to play smart, do not close the island, endogamy is never a good idea. The challenge is how to embrace the future without losing your identity.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes. All agreed. None of that changes the fact that large numbers of very capable Caymanians have been deprived opportunity and potential in direct consequence of a failure and even overt refusal of our so called authorities to follow let alone robustly enforce our laws.

        • Anonymous says:

          I know what you’re referring to but I am sorry I do not believe you. I personally know a lot of highly qualified caymanians and they all have very very good jobs. Partners at the big 4…vp at CUC…director of this that or the other. Just because you know a couple who don’t have their 100% perfect dream job does not mean they aren’t doing well. Of every college educated Caymanian I know over the age of 35 is make six figures in a steady job…several making 7 figures. What you’re talking about I believe is an illusion. Stop making excuses and start making progress.

          • Anonymous says:

            You have not spent any time in Cayman’s legal fraternity, have you?

            • Anonymous says:

              No I personally haven’t because it seems miserable…however I know a dozen Caymanian lawyers doing great in that field and some are partners. That’s just the 12 or so that I know myself. Not one of them is languishing. I realize that’s a small sample pool but regardless they’re batting 1000

      • Anonymous says:

        To 3:40pm; We have more vacancies than Caymanians, you say? Then explain 8% unemployment; 2-3% might be the unemployable – which exist globally due to substance abuse, health or learning challenges, criminal recidivism, etc. – but what about the rest? The average employer receives anywhere from 30 to 100 applications ranging from no experience to over-qualified for one position advertised. Explain that.

        • Anonymous says:

          Let’s do a bit of math. Someone earlier said something about 24000 caymanians being on the island. If we assume 20% are too young to work and 20% retired that leaves you with 14400 working force caymanians. Let’s assume a few are going to be stay at home moms or dads and call it 14000. If unemployment is 8% and 3% is structural and unavoidable that leaves us with 5% of 14000=700 unemployed.

          Now if you realize a place like the ritz has 800 employees and is currently at 30% staffing that’s 560 jobs to be filled right there…at one hotel. Add one more hotel and that’s all 700 vacancies and more accounted for. Bear in mind at the moment that a huge number of those 700 unemployed folks are water sports and diving operators 100% shut down and capable of filling very few other jobs. You can move my numbers up or down a bit but the first guy/gal was right about vacancies vs unemployed.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Are they vaccinated?
    No renewals without a certificate.

    • Anonymous says:

      Stop this bitterness. Everyone who can should get vaccinated. Some of you out there don’t miss an opportunity to be spiteful to expats.
      Tell this to everyone who refuses vaccine for no valid reason. Regardless of their immigration status. Everyone can get sick and pass it around.

      • Anonymous says:

        Other countries are mandating this of their expatriate workers. It is not bitter. It is self preservation in the age of COVID.

        • Anonymous says:

          Meanwhile, many of our brilliant locals think the covid vaccination gives you covid – or worse. smh

        • Anonymous says:

          If you are vaccinated and you believe in the efficacy of it, then nobody can possibly be a threat to you. You’ve preserved yourself by getting the vaccine. Good boy.

  15. Busy Bodden says:

    I hate all the government groups that won’t furnish “secret” information that really isn’t secret.

  16. Anonymous says:

    I like the way they WORC’d that.

  17. Frustrated anonymous says:

    24,221 work permits. A veritable cash cow, ain’t it? Meanwhile, WORC has close to 600 jobs listed (most of them paying peanuts) which Caymanians apply for and they are lucky if they get a reply, much less an interview. Since this department was born, it has not been able to show how it contributes to getting any significant number of Caymanians placed in jobs. And mind you, they offer excellent training options. Where is the disconnect, is my question…

    • Anonymous says:

      Most of those work permits pay peanuts too. Apparently Caymanians will not work for peanuts.

      • Anonymous says:

        I prefer Cashews…

      • Anonymous says:

        To 1:52 pm: When you have to pay rent or mortgage on your own, peanuts is not an option. You can make it work if you share rent with ten other people in similar situation. Then you buy in bulk, split the purchases and send the money by transfer back “home”. Caymanians have to think about a future here, retirement and mortgage here.

        • Anonymous says:

          I love the logic – where if the wage isn’t enough, not having a wage at al is apparently a better outcome.

          • Anonymous says:

            Of course it can be. If you have to pay $6.00 an hour for childcare for 9 hours a day, you are better off not working at all, and taking care of your child, rather than working for 8 hours at that same minimum wage. WAKE UP!

          • Anonymous says:

            lets take the ditch digging jobs guests like you are willing to give us.

    • GT East says:

      How many of these work permit holders actually employ the workers that they have permits for the answer is very few …the biggest tragedy is all these bogus T&B licenses that are handed out for little or no real cost and they have only one intention and that’s to use there T&B to import labor here to make a few dollars at the end of the month …stop all permit holders from farming out these people if you don’t have work for them right now you never will …the sharing is of no use to the economy it breeds a under belly economy that will sink us .at least 8,000 of those WP holders will be working outside of there permit criteria and that’s maybe conservative…you would be shocked if you looked into this problem .the young caymanians will never get into the work force when we import labor just because we can and we look the other way …

      • Anonymous says:

        You are correct. And DCI, WORC and the others responsible for the mess we are in should be charged with corruption. How many ‘day’s work’ adverts are posted? Or shady work vans with names that cannot be found on DCI’s website? Or, my new favourite, hundreds of illegal online ‘shops’ on Instagram.

        I have reported all of these things to the relevant authorities and they do NOTHING.

  18. Anonymous says:

    If worc figure is correct which I doubt is why is it that they have so many work permit holder here and the young caymanians returning home from university with their degree and cannot get a job in their own country, also think that they have more filipeno more than what they are saying everyday you see a new bruch and they need to give the correct stats on foreigners and not only pinpointing out one nation, its the government fault they use to have quota on the amount of permits that they issue every year but that is finish with now, well let’s see what the new one will do

    • Anonymous says:

      A degree lone is no longer a guarantee for a job, mostly when you crave skilled professionals.

      If those Caymanians you mention go to school abroad and get some practice as well, the there would be no way they don’t get a job, but is easier to complain than looking for solutions. Or maybe they are scared they will like their jobs and not come back to Cayman? If you want to grow your country in the now global community, you need to learn from the global world, endogamy never brings anything good.

      • Anonymous says:

        BULLSHIT. There are numerous instances of university trained Caymanians with international experience being denied jobs held (or later given to) permit holders.

        • Anonymous says:

          Expatriates that say Caymanians are not disenfranchised are benefiting from the exploitation of Cayman.

          • Anonymous says:

            Pot. Kettle. Black. I see Caymanians exploiting expatriates every day. Let’s start with the indentured servant wages they pay their helpers and move on to who Caymanians employers treat Filipinos.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Expatriate Civil Servants are not Work Permit Holders. How many of them are there?

  20. Anonymous says:

    And how many of these are vaccinated???

  21. Concerned Caymanian says:

    PNM sold us all out boy

  22. Anonymous says:

    Certain jobs, such as real estate, should have 0 work permits. I don’t understand why we need to bring people in to sell local property. Every week there is another new real estate company and the majority have little to no Caymanian ownership.

    • Anonymous says:

      As a work permit holder, I agree with this and feel this can be widely expanded to water sports and tourism.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes! Certain fields should be 100% prohibited from work permits. Real estate is definitely one of them.

      This is a great opportunity for young Caymsnisbs! It’s a field that anyone can enter (no degree needed!) and be successful if they’re willing to bust their butt working.

    • Anonymous says:

      Can we not just regulate this parasitic monopoly?

    • Anonymous says:

      this is called money laundering.
      Who else would spend millions of $$ on property, site unseen, no planning permission granted, land not even re-zoned for that type of development??
      https://caymannewsservice.com/2019/03/developers-vulnerable-money-laundering/

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you know how many former expat realtors are now Caymanian? All such a law would do is consolidate former expats as a realtor cartel. New Caymanians would have to work for brokers who would exploit them. They wouldn’t last more than a couple of years. Bad idea. Trust me.

  23. Anonymous says:

    Do these figures include dependents? If not, why not?

    • Anonymous says:

      I know they do not. Nor do they include expatriate dependents on Caymanians, or Permanent Residents.

    • Anonymous says:

      Because the system is not sophisticated enough. It is not unheard of to have the same dependents listed on different work permits so therefore the figures would be inaccurate, i.e. both mum and dad who have work permits have both there children listed as dependents on both their applications.

      Equally, not all dependents have the same nationalities as their parents, for example a Canadian couple whose child is born in the USA is both a Canadian and a US citizen, while the parents are only Canadian.. again the system would struggle to pick this up.

      I have to say that my favorite section is the 503 British Overseas Territories Citizens who have PR. This figure is pretty misleading because

      1) it covers a whole variety of Territories i.e. BVI and T&C
      2) it could include those expats who have become naturalised. Therefore if an Irish person becomes a BOTC they appear to stop being a Irish on the list.
      3) it could include those children who were born in the Cayman Islands and registered once their parents get PR.
      4) It could include those people who were born in the Cayman Islands pre 1983 who obtain Cayman Passports by birth but were not Caymanian, i.e. the Ghosts.

    • Anonymous says:

      That depends

  24. Rodney Barnett IV says:

    If what WORC says is correct, then my question is: “What are the exact fields of information included in the WORK database?”

    Looking at an application for Work Permit, it appears as though all of the information the person asked about is on the standard application with the exception of data about island entry/exit information which would need to be extracted from Customs and Border Control. Linking the WORC and CBC databases would be easily accomplished through data-sharing agreements if not already in place and legal in Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      My understanding is that WORC operates off of 2 systems. The “legacy” system, Immigration System and then a new system, JobsCayman. The 2 systems do not connect which is an absolute FAIL

  25. Anonymous says:

    “the system is not designed to run the number of people as a whole who are on island on a given date”… or to be more accurate, the system is only designed to list the number of permit holders, PR and dependents on the island at any given date. They simply don’t have a register of Caymanians, other than those born Caymanians who have applied for confirmation of their status or those that have acquired it. Nor is their any system to cross reference against other centrally held data that (incompletely) list Caymanians, such as the electoral register.

    The question is unanswerable without government doing what they are actually meant to do by law and create a central register for Caymanians, but have been unwilling or unable to do. And I suspect the person that asked it knew that perfectly well. That’s why we have to deal with ESO guesstimates on population size when trying to work out what percentage of the population have bee vaccinated, and why employers who dont particularly want to hire Caymanians can make job applicants lives quite difficult by asking them to prove that they are Caymanian. Its not poor record keeping CNS, its not having a record in the first place (but not wanting to admit it).

    • Anonymous says:

      Creating a central register of Caymanians would require them to confirm that many hundreds of so called Caymanians are in fact not Caymanian. They would then have to explain why so many non Caymanians are voting, owning businesses, working without work permits, and receiving government scholarships. The issue was formally raised in court more than a decade ago, and no one has addressed the issue. We have our own Windrush problem, but unlike what happened in the UK, we have known about it all along and simply allow it to get worse.

  26. Anonymous says:

    Well, the PR list isn’t as scary as the WP list.

    • Anonymous says:

      It doesn’t include dependents. Multiply it by 3.

      • Anonymous says:

        That’s a slight exaggeration wouldn’t you agree…

        • Anonymous says:

          OK. 2.7.

          But remember, most are married and some of them have several kids (not 1 or 2).

          • Anonymous says:

            Do you really think there are more than 90,000 people living in the Cayman Islands now?

            • Anonymous says:

              No. But I do think there are more than 70,000, and I think it disgusting that our government, with all of its systems, data and resources, cannot tell us for sure. True the dependents multiplier for work permit holders is more like .5. But for PR holders it is likely more than 2. Then there are all the so called “visitors” that live here.

              • Anonymous says:

                Agreed on the 70K population. I don’t think more though – too many hospitality/tourism workers left last year. When tourism opens up again and all these new hotels open, the number of work permits will probably surpass 30K within 3 years. We’ll be pushing 80K by 2025.

        • Anonymous says:

          Depends… i suspect that the average Western Professional has 2.4 children…

          • Anonymous says:

            And how many for the non professional Caribbean and Latin American nationals that make up more than 50% of those on work permits, and a high percentage of the civil service?

    • GT East says:

      Let’s have a list or break down of all company’s that hold work permits and the name of the owners of these companies and how many are actually operating as per the law ..if we don’t clean this up we are in big trouble we must have more Landscaping.janitoral.construction.maintenance company’s per capita than anywhere in the world

  27. Anonymous says:

    Appeal the decision… it’s worrying if the Department can’t provide a number as to how many Caymanians are in the Cayman Islands

  28. Anonymous says:

    What about the data from the fingerprint scanning system that cost a fortune………………..

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