21/07/2023
If you are looking to move to the Cayman Islands and are not Caymanian, or married to a Caymanian, the process is slower.
The first thing to do is find a job, or be offered a job, and then your Cayman employer has to apply for a work permit for you.
Read on to understand the differences between Full and Temporary Work Permits as opposed to working under the Special Economic Zone and/or being classified under a Student Visa.
If you are looking to renew a work permit please see below for the new rules. We have also added what you need to do to renew a work permit during the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown we are under.
If you are interested in moving to Cayman under the Global Citizen Programme we talk about that here as well.
Strict work permit regulations exist to ensure that Caymanians, the spouses of Caymanians, Permanent Residents and existing residents are given preference (in that order) for any position. This can be something of a minefield for the uninitiated.
These allow a person to work and remain in the Cayman Islands for a specified period of time.
All work permit fees are the responsibility of the employer. The law prohibits employers from requiring employees to pay any part of such fees. Annual fees range from nil (for positions in education) to up to CI$32,400 for the most senior positions in the legal industry.
It is an offence for any non-Caymanian engaging in gainful occupation (and who is not expressly exempted from the work permit regime) to engage in gainful occupation in the Islands without a work permit or alternative permission. Although statements to the contrary have been expressed, it is our view that even persons working for businesses outside the Cayman Islands must, under the legislation as it stands, have a work permit (or other permission) before undertaking such work while resident in Cayman.
