Cayman Islands Immigration : Work Permits

Organization : Department of Immigration
Type of Facility : Work Permits
Country: Cayman Islands

Website : https://www.gov.ky/immigration

Work Permits:

This section has information to help you if you want to find out more about applying for a work permit.

Related : Cayman Islands Immigration Business Visitors’ Permits : www.statusin.org/10043.html

Anyone wishing to work in the Cayman Islands must first obtain a work permit, unless they are exempt. Please review the complete list of Exemptions for persons who do not require a work permit.

The following perons are exempt from the requirement to pay work permit fees:
** Spouse of a Caymanian
** Surviving spouse of a Caymanian who has not remarried a non-Caymanian
** Contracted Government employees
** Exempt Cubans
** Cayman Islands Monetary Authority employees
** Persons working for a non-profit cultural, educational or charitable body

In addition to being exempt from the requirement to pay work permit fees the following persons are exempt from the requirement to pay non-refundable repatriation fees or work permit dependant fees:
** Teachers (licensed by the Cayman Islands Education Council)
** Ministers of Religion
** Cayman Islands Monetary Authority employees
** Contracted Government employees

Categories of Work Permit:
A work permit may be issued for any occupation for periods of up to six months (Temporary Work Permit), or longer (Annual Work Permit).

Temporary work permits are issued by the Chief Immigration Officer; annual work permits are issued by either Chief Immigration Officer (or Work Permit Administrators designated by him), the Work Permit Board or the Business Staffing Plan Board depending on whether the employer in question is required to possess a Business Staffing Plan.

For further information on Business Staffing Plans, click here. The maximum period that a person may remain in the Cayman Islands on a work permit is nine years.

For information on the requirements for applying for a Temporary Work Permit and to download an application form, click here.

For information on the requirements for applying for the grant of an Annual Work Permit and to download application forms, click here.

For information on the renewal of an Annual Work Permit click here

Language Requirements:
If a prospective employee is not a national of an English speaking country and they are already in the Cayman Islands they will be required to come to the Department of Immigration Headquarters to take an English test.

Where such an employee is not yet in the Cayman Islands they will be required to take an English test upon arrival at the airport. If they are found not to possess a sufficient knowledge of the English language, they will be refused entry or, if they are resident here, may have their permission to remain or work permit revoked. For further information on the English language test, click here.

Medical Requirements:
Where the person concerned will be working in the Cayman Islands for more than three months they will be required to undertake a medical examination (including HIV/VDRL tests) and submit a medical questionnaire at the time of applying for a work permit. To download the medical questionnaire, click here.

Amending Work Permits:
Work permits can be amended to add or remove dependants, share the permit with another employer, change job titles or alter the commencement date. Click here for more details

Contact: (345) 949-8344