Work permits at over 37,300 even in low season
(CNS): At the start of this month, despite entering tourism’s low season, the number of valid work permits was 37,334, according to the latest official figures. This is about 100 fewer than the record-breaking high of 37,437 in April this year. The huge number comes when an estimated 5% of local people are without work and after the Economics and Statistics Office published its latest occupational wage survey revealing that around 58% of workers here are earning CI$4,000 per month or less.
The usual low-season departure of tourism workers does not appear to have greatly impacted the number, which has been in excess of 37,000 permits throughout this year so far, as the current government has still not made any meaningful change to the immigration law.
In a round-robin message to their clients, local attorneys, and immigration experts, HSM said that the figures they received earlier this month show that the highest number of currently active permits are for Jamaicans at 15,427. This is followed by 6,463 workers from the Philippines, 2,081 from India, 2,024 from the United Kingdom. There are 1,246 workers from Nepal, who recently jumped into the top five largest groups, and 1,197 from Canada.
HSM also said that work permit grants or renewals are taking around 12 weeks, but it can take as much as six months to vary the conditions of a permit.
The lawyers reported that, based on the cases they are dealing with, the processing time for permanent residency and status applications has continued to drop over the last few months. Caymanian status and PR applications are taking up to twelve months, while applications for the right to work as a spouse of a Caymanian or a PR holder are taking between three and six months.
In June 2024, the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board determined 138 applications for the Right to be Caymanian on the basis of naturalisation and another 58 based on marriage.
Meanwhile, the attorneys said that they recently managed to get two PR applications that they believed were wrongfully rejected based on the allocation of points reconsidered without having to appeal.
“Upon reviewing the points which they had been awarded, it appeared to us that there were clear errors made in assessing the applications, which if resolved in our clients’ favour, would lead to the award of Permanent Residence to them,” Huw Moses, a partner with the firm, said.
He explained that they decided to ask for a reconsideration even though there is no formal process, but given that this was a clear administration error, the lawyers gave it a shot.
“In both of these cases, reconsideration requests were made and approved prior to the time limit for any appeal to be filed expiring,” Moses said. “In some cases, reconsideration requests are not appropriate, however in these cases, the department exercised their discretion in a reasonable manner and accepted the submissions we made, and in doing so our clients not only obtained Permanent Residence in a far quicker manner than they eventually would via an appeal but incurred less legal fees,” he added.
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Category: Jobs, Local News
CIG really has no idea how many people are here and what they are doing? How is it possible to issue WP’s when the accommodation form is required. Do they run the address used? Are they able to see that 20 people are using the same address?
Has CIG ever asked, why are these people here and what do they add to Cayman?
Agreed. Too many people here. Time for meaningful immigration reform.
and???…what is the story here?
work permits have been awarded because government determined there was no caymanian to do the job.
Sign of a vibrant economy. Now you might think CIG could use all the data at its disposal to tailor our education and employment systems to ensure that there is a supply of properly prepared young Caymanians ready and able to take all available jobs for years to come. But no. Apparently the ship must be left to drift aimlessly.
Every outstanding work permit involves a successful application with obligations and promises linked to the underwriting Caymanian employer. What agency is verifying these promises to guest workers, to fellow Caymanians, and to the collective responsibility to the greater community? From the number of low skill outfits willing to flyer neighbourhoods with a willingness to do almost anything, it seems like low labour utilisation isn’t being factored into multiple applications held by same application underwriters, and that the process has been wilfully corrupted from within, by the underwriting Caymanians and agencies tasked with supervising it. At $6/hr, it’s not far from human trafficking.
The fleecing of Cayman continues unabated. The false narrative of we need them for exactly What??? to feed our greedy 1.6 million dollar homeowners in Gated communities for our political pirates .
Cayman is like an old cargo vessel that has become too top heavy with crew and no cargo to stabilise or displace the weight and the crew have started to lean the vessel to one side and rough weather is approaching or on the horizon and the ships Captain is too drunk with power or stupidity to understand the ship’s capacity to sink or capsize.
UPM are a despicable government only concerned with enriching themselves and building monuments to thy self and the destruction of our precious environment as we can see from the latest Panton & Turner fiasco the displacement of Caymanians continues unabated despite all the double talk and false promises to help the little people fulling this place up with migrants disenfranchising our children’s future. It seem this is the only game in town. Real trouble coming To this little place Cayman and our political donkeys seem useless or so corrupt they cannot or won’t stop it !
PROGRESSIVES AND UPM. Fixed it for you.