Premier McKeeva Bush intends to propose legislation to create new long-term work permits that will be good for 10 years.
“I am pleased to announce that on Friday, I will bring to the Legislative Assembly a bill that will empower the immigration boards and the Chief Immigration Officer with the ability to grant work permits for up to 10 years for certain very senior occupations,” Mr. Bush said during the Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon Wednesday. “I believe that these long-term work permits, which will provide the much-sought after security of tenure for these workers, will be welcomed by the business community.”
Mr. Bush also touched on his proposal to create a committee to review the Immigration Law and suggest changes. The committee’s members will be drawn from the Chamber of Commerce, Cayman Finance, Immigration Review and other small business-oriented organisations. The committee’s report is due in six months, during which time the Government intends to amend the law so that employers can apply for two-year extensions for workers due to be rolled over, or who was rolled over in the past month.
Mr. Bush told the 200-strong audience: “Let me make it clear that this temporary suspension does not automatically allow every worker to remain beyond their seven years. An extension will have to be applied for and will be granted only if the employer can demonstrate a genuine need to keep the employee, and also show that they have done everything possible to recruit and train a Caymanian for the position applied for,” he said.
Mr. Bush suggested the changes to the law – while potentially very substantive – would not go so far as to do away with fixed-term work permits altogether.
“I am advised by many who are more knowledgeable than me about international standards and immigration itself that it is not possible to do away with the fixed-term policy altogether without jeopardising our own Caymanians’ right to a future in which they control the businesses; they are the majority voters in a General Election; and they are in charge of their destiny,” he said.
He added, “It may be that we will have to look at this by occupation, and not as we have done by key employee status alone.”
Mr. Bush said companies securing 10-year work permits would need to pay into a programme to train Caymanians.
“However, I also believe that companies, which take advantage of this new facility, should demonstrate their social responsibility by being required to support long-term human capital development for these Islands, by being required to contribute financially to a national training initiative,” he said.
Future of Cayman
Mr. Bush noted that altering immigration policy is one objective of the Chamber’s Future of Cayman initiative, an ongoing programme aimed at bringing the private and public sectors together to nurture the local economy.
“This endeavour recognises that the economy has specific drivers: talent, infrastructure, business climate, quality of life, and the need for diversification. Grappling with these issues is no easy task and as we know from previous initiatives, success is not measured by the number of meetings that are held,” he said.
Chamber President James O’Neill said, “More than 100 volunteers across political, business and government lines are working together on subcommittees to implement that actions outlined in the strategic report. The initiative has helped to foster relationships and a better understanding between the public and private sectors; a partnership that is critical as we attempt to stimulate economic activity, to strengthen existing businesses, attract new investments and create jobs and opportunities for all.”
Mr. O’Neill urged the audience to get involved in the initiative by signing up for a driver group or endorsing the programme online.
“This is not government-driven as such. It is something that we’re partnering with the Chamber on,” Mr. Bush said. “I’m glad, actually, real glad to see that the Chamber has this initiative, and going forward I think in the end it’s going to do a whole lot of good for the government and for the community as a whole.”
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The Premier makes a point as to the need for Caymanians to maintain control of their country. I assume he means Caymanians born in the Cayman Islands of parents born in the Cayman Islands.
This begs the question: should a law abiding person born overseas but now living and working here, owning a home and bringing up their children here EVER have the right to a vote in the country that has become their entire life?
A letter appeared a couple of days ago damming the foreign demons for destroying these beautiful islands.
Nostalia is great but if you go back to the mid-60s these were islands on the verge of extinction.
There was no central electicity, no phone service or running water and a mosquito problem so severe that cows could be killed by them. People were trapped in their oil lamp lit homes in the suffocating heat. You dare not open a window.
The lack of fresh water and hard, unfertile soil made farming very tough. The woemn mostly stayed at home. The men went to sea. Either fishing / trapping turtles or to work overseas.
Tourists didn’t come, except the hardiest, because of the mosquitoes.
There was no future for young Caymanians except to leave.
There was no taxation. Not because of a long dead king but because people were so poor they had no income worth taxing.
Does anyone seriously want to return to those days?
This changed with the influx of foreign capital and know-how. That doesn’t mean that Caymanians were lazy or stupid. Far from it. They were as tough as nails just to survive in this inhospitable place.
But they didn’t have the money or the knowledge needed to build a modern economy.
Caymanians worked together with foreigners to create the wonderful island we have today.
Why did foreigners come? Some, as I did, to make a new home somewhere safe and quiet. Most to work and make money. Yes to make money. Just like everyone else, whether a Jamaican construction worker or A. L. Thompson and the Kirkconells.
If a foreigner owns land here, it is because a Caymanian sold it to him for a price that Caymanian considered fair and reasonable.
None of this makes them demons.
Sadly in the course of creating this new found wealth, some parents paid less attention to their children than they should have. Hence the current crime wave.
Caymanians quite rightly demand a good job, somewhere clean and air-conditioned. But a few are not prepared to work for it.
To return to the original point, when is it fair for an ex-pat to have some rights in this country?
@ longtermresident
You are bang on… I just wanted to add that 99% of Caymanians are expats, some are older and some are newer. Jamaican, Honduran, Cuban, Scottish, English etc all make up the modern day caymanian… with all these people coming to the islands to build a culture, society and economy there would be nothing.
Every expat that has ever come here as added value to this country and continues to make it a better place in all aspects.
LongTermResident. Very good question, I simply cannot wait to read the replies you get. I would like to like add one thing to your question of an Expat ever having rights in Cayman. What about a resident of independent means, who lives on the island, owns a home and property, holds no job but spends a lot of money local at local business. Should someone like this ever have any human rights in Cayman?
Dr.Florence Goring-Nozza,Thank you so much amongst others for pushing the Governor,the Commissioner of police,the Chamber of Commerce and our elected government to do what is right. Thank you Firey for your wisdom and enlightened wealth of knowledge
you share with us from the UK.
Give credit where it is due. Had this lady not exposed government head on through her writing strong and challenging letters to our government leaders that most others are scared to engage in; I dare say government would never have come off their blessed assurance and do anything. It would be business as usual.
Florence, You pushed every one of their buttons.
Kudos.
It is a fact that no government in the world can take that kind of constructive criticism imposed upon them especially coming from a woman in the face of a male dominated legislature!
I am tired of hearing phill’s bury doe sing on all the under the table favors, I wonder how much money he is been paid to sell our Island. First it was a unit of thanks, for getting the green light for sertin hotel, then it’s the West Bay road, then stop roll over, now it’s ten year work permit.
WHAT about our kids thst leave school each year?
It’s time we as CAYMANIANS stand up and stop this MADNESS McKeeva Is putting us to face, he is not worried about us cause once the doe is rolling in he is down for IT.
Mr. Longtermresident You should not be able to vote ever and the reason is you see your self as a expat and not a Caymanain that is your problem . How can i trust you with my future an you don’t see your self as one of us. You expats want to have your cake and eat it to. We are human being and we know what humans are able to do to each other. We Caymanians are not blind we have seen what happens to native peoples of other countries and it is sad to say those mind sets are in Cayman as well just listen and you will hear those mind sets (all Caymanains are lazy, we don’t want to work, we want all things handed to us,we are not smart) . all these sayings where said about other native peoples as reasons to dispossess them of the control of there country . We are fighting over the right to the wealth that my country generates. Plain and simple .But to those that love us we love you as well and something will be work out.
@longtermresident: Your post hit many nails on the head. My husband and I are set to arrive in Cayman in the next 90 days or so. And this decision was made after 6 long months of what we lovingly call research and development. We have had enough of Canada. It’s cold here. It’s crowded here. Cultures and ethnicities are segregated here, despite what the Canadian government will have you believe about multiculturalism.
We are both 40 yr old professionals and have two small children we wish to raise in a nice, quiet place where life moves a little slower than Toronto. If you think crime is bad in Cayman, try the streets of Toronto on any given day! We visited Cayman, fell in love with the country and quality of life we can picture for ourselves and decided we would like to make it our home, especially given my own Caribbean family background. We are bringing quite a bit of money with us. We want to contribute to the community; we want to embrace Cayman culture in every way. We would like to be able to work and continue in our professions.
We would like to think we are good candidates to immigrate to Cayman. We hope we will never have to leave. But that is the chance I suppose we will have to take. And that’s a big gamble! Leaving Canada, severing our ties (property owned and otherwise), leaving family and friends; I would hate to have to uproot again in 7 or 10 years, because by then, our youngest child (currently 10 months old) would never have any connection to Canada, only Cayman! I have followed the politics in Cayman for awhile now (more than I have ever followed the politics in my own countrybecause in Canada, you may be able to vote, but you really don’t have a voice)
I hope things change for Cayman in terms of expats. We don’t want to take anything away from Caymanians; we only want to be part of Cayman. Is that too much to ask?
@Vietnam – I’m curious. Where in this article do we see anything about Dr. Florence Goring-Nozza? There was no comment made about her, except by you. Is there something about her we are missing?
Cayman must be really good if some of you seem like you are willing to fight, kill and do whatever it takes to stay here. But yet you hate Caymanians and insist they have no right to even speak on their own behalf.
That is very selfish and is the reason for so much resistance from grassroots Cayman.
Caymanians will continue to monitor the Premier and call him out when he gives X-pats too much attention that should be focused on his own people who put him in office.
How about that?
Sooooo….. What he is trying to say now is that, he is not only trying to get the roll-over suspended he is now saying that Caymanians will never be able to go into senior positions because expats hold the work permits for it??????????
I am a born caymanian, with caymanian parents, and their parents were caymanians, and their parents were caymanians etc. etc. etc………… and it furiates me to see that MCKEEVA BUSH is allowing this country to fall apart.
When a caymanian wants to buy a house here, it is the hardest thing ever. Every question is asked, but if an expat comes in with enough money, no questions asked, they will get it!!!!! Now who is from here again?
My husband and I have decided to move our family from The Cayman ISlands. Yes me (A Caymanian) my husband (Caymanian) my two kids (caymanians) have decided to up route our family to go live somewhere else to make a better life for us and our children. Now tell me, why would we be doing that if The Cayman Islands was the best place for us to live.
The expats have it quite easy, you come here, you work you make your money, you go on vacations, you eat at nice restaurants, you live on SMB, you are able to shop or eat @ Camana Bay??????? Now ask a hard working Caymanian making average salary if they can do any of the above!!!!!!!!
Be fortunate you are here, and that Caymanians welcome you with open arms, cause we as Caymanians don’t get it!!!!
Ten year work permits for senior business people is going to fill 2200 empty condos?
Or is it 2300 empty condos already?
I’ve been watching how Bermuda solves this problem on TV . They don’t allow foreigners to buy property on their island. Citizenship limitation. There is no chance whatsoever of becoming Bermudian by citizenship Be aware there is no chance for citizenship (namely, becoming a Bermudian) unless you marry a Bermudian, stay married and live together and then wait ten years to apply.
If you like you can get more details at this link:http://www.bermuda-online.org/employwp.htm
I don’t know if people know that the rent in that country is almost triple what people pay here. Cost of living is also very high. Qualifications to come work there is very high also.
Once you take a look at that site realize that the tourist business is very good . They also have a dock for cruise ships . Their island is one island not three. Tourist can only rent scooters.
Why in God’s name don’t we follow them. They don’t seem to have the problems we have and foreigners are very happy with the system they have there. You can’t even get citizenship until you been married for 10 years.
Please read this link
Pissed WestBaya. Brilliant post, could not have said it better if I was trying to demonstrate irony either.
You do realise you sound ridiculous, with your anti-expat bleating. So, let me get this right, you are envious of the wealthy ex-pats, so you are packing up your stuff and moving elsewhere. Good luck with that, what with becoming an expat somewhere else, in order to live a better life.
Wondered why most expats come here? hmmm, could it be for this ‘better life’ you speak of? Sure, many will be on substantial salaries, to reward the hard work they have put in to become qualified, but many will not (think hotel industry expats).
I am ‘qualified’, more so than most Caymanians. However, I do not go to Camana Bay shops, live on the beach or eat gold-plated Blue Iguana eggs or whatever it is you think expats do. I do however, miss my family, pay an extortionate amount of rent, have to pay a minimum of 300 to get off this island to go anywhere, and work extremely hard.
Yes, people here greet me with open arms, with such friendly people like yourself…
Perhaps you’re not earning these vast fortunes as you do not have the level of literacy required for a senior management position. I’d uproot, unless you’re really tearing up roads…
To summarise, the grass isn’t always greener, don’t be envious of lifestyles you think ‘they’ all live and take responsibility for your own issues.
To JustCanadian: You are self-delusional and naive.
If you think Canada is crowded and cultures are segregated, you know little about Cayman. Same for crime.
You don’t follow politics in your own country because you’ve never had a voice? Well that is your own fault. And don’t dare try political involvement in Cayman. Even if you got residency after so many years, it can still be revoked.
We would like to be able to work and continue in our professions – You mean you are coming to Cayman without jobs?
Also, what makes you think you won’t have to send your kids off-island to be educated! Any Canadian ex-pat will tell you it’s almost obligatory for the high school years if you want your kid’s to receive Canadian equivalencies (like French) for University. If your kids have any learning problems at the lower school levels there is nothing to accommodate them. You will have to send them to a private school in anyway, and you may not care for the values taught in Cayman private schools.
Your final salvo: We just want to be part of Cayman. Is that too much to ask? sounds like a wheedling expression of entitlement, before you even arrive. So, yeah, it is too much to ask.
Good God, if you even expressed such an opinion whilst coming through Cayman immigration, they might just put you right back on the ‘plane!
Sheesh!