Work is underway to overhaul the Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman systems with the aim of automating and moving the work permit application process online, the Labour Ministry has confirmed.
Responding to Cayman Compass queries, the ministry said on Thursday, that Deputy Premier Chris Saunders’s vision is moving more services online.
“He foresees that automation will free up resources to better enforce the laws, protect Caymanians in the local labour market, and efficiently serve employers,” the statement said.
The move to make this happen is now in progress and any likely changes won’t be seen until later in the year.
“The Project Team are in the early stages of the programme and will engage with stakeholders to ensure that the systems are user friendly, efficient and effective. The approach is to deliver various components incrementally, with the first round of changes to WORC online systems expected in the fourth quarter of 2022,” it said.
Though the application submission will be automated, decisions will still be made by WORC boards and administrators.
Saunders, as Minister for Labour, the statement said, is committed to the ‘Cayman First’ policy in the Cayman Islands labour market.
“To support the Caymanians First policy, the WORC systems are being overhauled to ensure Caymanians seeking employment can easily find and apply for vacant jobs,” it said.
In explaining the vision ahead, the ministry said, employers seeking work permits when Caymanian workers are not available “can look forward to a more efficient process which ensures that job advertisements are clear, and that all required documents are uploaded at the time of application, with a more streamlined payment process”.
Internally, it said, the boards and administrators who decide on work permit grants will be able to work more efficiently “with clear indications of qualified Caymanians who apply for vacancies and what efforts employers have made to hire them, before considering the approval of a work permit”.
There have been a number of delays when it comes to the processing of permits which in some cases, WORC has previously said, are a result of incomplete applications as well as closer scrutiny by the WORC board.
WORC, in a policy decision, announced Wednesday that, with immediate effect, incomplete applications will not be accepted.
WORC is encouraging customers to visit www.worc.ky to review application checklists before submitting applications at the WORC Apollo House office or via the online portal.
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