Premier considers work permit ‘express lane’ as part of immigration reform

An ‘express lane’ for compliant businesses to receive swifter work permit processing is being considered as part of government’s overhaul of the immigration system, Premier André Ebanks has said.

The premier acknowledged that full implementation of the new Caymanian Protection Act, passed late last year, could extend beyond the 1 March target date, with some elements coming into force sooner than others.

He said government intends to circulate the accompanying regulations, which dictate how the law operates in practice, for public consultation imminently.

“If the clarion call has been to have the community lean in, then you have to actually make that mean something. Give it to people and get back feedback”, he said in a wide-ranging interview with the Cayman Compass.

Ebanks said the coalition government is listening to feedback from the business community, particularly around delays in processing work permit applications for roles where suitably qualified Caymanians are not available.

He described the legislation as an overdue update to immigration laws that had not seen major reform in more than a decade and said it should be seen as an opportunity not only to strengthen protections for Caymanian workers, but also to modernise and improve the efficiency of the system.

Among the ideas being discussed is the concept of a ‘green flag’ accreditation system for businesses that demonstrate strong compliance and a commitment to hiring and training Caymanians.

“Can the department be broken down into sub-teams that match industries, so that they know and really understand the difference of what you’ll need in financial services, tourism, commerce, construction, development?” Ebanks said.

“Can we then offer an accreditation system, which has been talked about for ages, to say that these are our good actors? Let’s give them the express lane.”

He said businesses had told the government they would be willing to pay higher fees for faster processing, provided they were good corporate citizens and hired a high proportion of Caymanians.

“On the other hand, the ones who are not so great shouldn’t be in the express lane, right?” he said.

“They should be encouraged to do more to bring jobs home … make pathways for Caymanians.”

“Even if you’re under the threshold where you’re not necessarily majority Caymanian-staffed, but you’ve identified roles, you can see the talent coming out, you’re bringing them in, you can show the pipeline of Caymanians that’ll eventually take the roles. Then you can start to lean in and become part of the express lane.”

Ebanks said some provisions of the new law would come into force next month, while others could be phased in later.

“Even if it takes a little bit beyond March, I would prefer that than to squander the opportunity to reimagine it to work for the betterment of the whole country,” he said.

This is one of a series of reports drawn from an extended interview with Premier André Ebanks and Compass Media on 5 Feb.