A Caymanian refers to a citizen of the Cayman Islands who, for immigration purposes, does not need a work permit to secure employment and can work freely under any job title.

This refers to an individual who is a spouse/civil partner of a Caymanian and holds an RERC certificate, which allows the individual to live and work freely in the Cayman Islands under any job title and with no annual fees attached.

This refers to an individual who has decided they wish to reside in The Cayman Islands for the long term and have successfully gone through a rigorous points-based application process after having lived in the Cayman Islands for eight years, or having invested significantly in Cayman via independent means, or having a substantial business presence.

A work permit can be granted to an individual once they have been offered a position by a local employer, as long as it is to the satisfaction of the Department of Workforce Opportunities and Residence Cayman (WORC) that there is a proven need for a work permit. We will discuss these requirements later in this article.

Each work permit is tied to a specific job at a particular employer and lasts for a specified period of time. There are a few different types of work permits, depending on the needs of the role and the employer, and we will explain the differences between Full and Temporary Work Permits later in this article.

All work permit fees are the employer's responsibility, and immigration law prohibits employers from requiring employees to pay any part of such fees. The fees for work permits are based on the occupation and industry of the position and can range anywhere from CI$150 to over CI$32,400.

A dependent can be the spouse or civil partner of the work permit holder, children (including step and adopted child/children), grandchildren, parents, step-parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters (including half-brothers and half-sisters) and once approved will be listed on the work permit holder’s approval license. The listed dependents must be wholly, or substantially dependent on the work permit holder. This means that girlfriends, boyfriends or fiancés/fiancées cannot be listed as dependants on an individual’s Work Permit.

An approved dependent spouse or civil partner has the right to reside in the Cayman Islands but not to work unless they obtain their own work permit. As a result, the Department of WORC must be satisfied that the work permit holder has sufficient income to support any dependents and would expect a minimum monthly household income of CI$3,500 for one dependent, with an increase of CI$500 per month for each additional dependent listed.

A visitor is typically granted entry for an initial 30 days only but may, at the discretion of Customs and Border Control (CBC), be granted an extension for an additional period of time, up to a maximum of six months.

As mentioned before, girlfriends, boyfriends and fiancés/fiancées cannot be approved as dependents of a work permit holder, so they would be required to enter as a visitor if planning to relocate as well, and are likely only to be given 30 days to stay on island. They can attempt to be granted an extended stay by presenting a letter from their 'sponsor' (aka their significant other, who is a work permit holder) stating that they will support them during their stay; however, this is at the discretion of the CBC officer to approve.

It is important to note that you are not permitted to search for work as a visitor. So, if an unapproved dependent ie girlfriend/boyfriend/fiancé/fiancée does arrive into the islands as a tourist visitor, they are not permitted to submit a work permit application while being on the island; they would have to leave the island while any such applications are being made and return only once an approval has been issued.

A TWP can be issued for up to six months and cannot be extended or renewed with the same employer.

A WPG is issued annually but, in certain circumstances, can be approved for multiple years.

1. An employer advertises the vacancy and waits for applications to start coming through so they can see who might be their next hire. These advertisements can be listed anywhere (local newspaper, social media, etc.); however, for a work permit to be granted, should there be no sufficient local applicants, the advert must be on the Jobs Cayman portal for a minimum of two weeks, so most employers will advertise here for all roles just in case the need arises.
2. The employer will undergo the typical recruitment process, shortlisting and interviewing until they find their desired hire. If the short listed individual requires a work permit, the employer needs to demonstrate that there was no suitably qualified and available local individual to fill the need of the vacancy. If a Caymanian, Spouse or Civil Partner of a Caymanian or Permanent Resident candidates applied; In that case, the employer will need to demonstrate why these individuals were not selected, and how/why the hire chosen is a better fit for the role.
3. The Department of WORC will review the work permit application and they may approve, deny or defer the application based on the submitted information in accordance with the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision).

1. A TWP application differs from a WPG application in a few ways. The key difference is the lack of a need to advertise in most cases for a specified period; instead, employers can apply immediately for a work permit without posting the role on the JobsCayman portal.
2. Like a WPG, the temporary work permit application will be submitted to the department of WORC, and  they may approve, deny or defer the application based on the submitted information in accordance with the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision).