The Cayman Islands Immigration Department is making a lot more information available to local employers on its new computerised system, known as Immigration On-Line or IOL.
“While our customers have had access to see their data for several years, the previous system provided very limited information,” said Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans. “That system will be terminated in May, and be replaced by IOL, so all of our customers should make an effort to get enrolled as soon as possible.”
A training/introduction session was held at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman on Tuesday.
The Web-based service provides private companies with an external view of its records, as they appear in immigration databases. The IOL programme is free to users and was developed by government’s Computer Services Department, in collaboration with immigration officials.
Computer Services’ Applications Project Manager Mick Whitworth said, “On these ‘virtual visits’ to the department, companies can review all their current applications and up to eight years of history. Users can view application status changes, meetings, decisions, financial transactions and more.”
The system is proactive, and will identify to companies its applications that are due for renewal or annual payments. It also includes a ‘meetings calendar’ that identifies all applications listed on immigration board meeting agendas. Companies can also peruse their current business staffing plans.
IOL uses search engines to find applications quickly and gives businesses the ability to export data locally via Excel spreadsheets.
“This initiative was tested for several months in a pilot project, which included large private-sector employers, as well as some recruitment agencies,” Ms Evans said. “The service has built-in protections and access limitations. Even so, while IOL will benefit larger companies, it is especially designed to assist smaller businesses – many of which do not have dedicated HR staff.”
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