📝 Work permits remain high in Cayman Islands despite tourism low season

The number of active work permits in the Cayman Islands remains high, despite the country entering its low tourism season. Official figures show that at the start of the month, there were 37,334 valid work permits, just 100 fewer than the record-breaking high of 37,437 in April this year. This comes at a time when an estimated 5% of local people are without work and recent data reveals that around 58% of workers are earning CI$4,000 per month or less. 📉

The largest group of permit holders are from Jamaica, with 15,427 active permits. This is followed by workers from the Philippines (6,463), India (2,081), the United Kingdom (2,024), Nepal (1,246), and Canada (1,197). The processing time for work permit grants or renewals is around 12 weeks, but it can take up to six months to vary the conditions of a permit. Meanwhile, the processing time for permanent residency and status applications has continued to drop over the last few months. 🌎

Despite the high number of work permits, the current government has not made any significant changes to the immigration law. Local attorneys and immigration experts have noted that in some cases, they have been able to get Permanent Residence applications that were wrongfully rejected reconsidered without having to appeal, saving their clients time and legal fees. 🏛️