Our beautiful Cayman Islands is a tri-island British Overseas Territory consisting of the isles of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Located in the Caribbean, our official language is English.
The Cayman Islands is among the world’s most popular offshore investment locations, and there are many employment opportunities available in the Financial Industry, Legal and Medical field, Education, and Hospitality.
Overseas Job Seekers
Even though the islands have a well-educated local workforce, most of them graduated from Universities in the Unitd Kingdom, United States, and Canada, there are more positions to be filled than qualified local candidates. Therefore, a large percentage of the current workforce is made of foreign workers from over 130 countries.
The two pillar industries that had been the driving force behind the economic growth in Cayman Islands before COVID 19 were the tourism and the finance sector, being the first one almost non-existent due to the current travel restrictions. However, with more than 46.1 percent of the legal age population vaccinated in the islands, the government is very optimistic, and ongoing talks on safely reopening the borders and reactivate the sector are a top priority.
If you are an overseas job seeker applying for employment on the islands, these are the major requirements: of course, the first step is to obtain a job offer from an employer (person or company) registered in the Cayman Islands. Once you have accepted the job offer, a somewhat bureaucratic process that takes between one and two months would start. Your Cayman employer or his HR Manager would have to apply for a Temporary Work Permit. A temporary work permit (TWP) may be issued for any occupation for periods of up to six months. The application form is available on the Immigration website in a downloadable PDF format. Your Cayman employer or his Human Resource Manager will contact you and inform you about the supporting documents you must provide: a police clearance certificate, a fully completed medical questionnaire, and a lab report showing HIV/VDRL test results, Degrees, Diplomas, and Certificates are some of them. If you come from a non-English speaking country, you must translate your supporting documents into English before filing them. The Department of Immigration only accepts translations made and notarized in the Cayman Islands. You can look at our services if you need to translate your application documents.
The employer will pay the filing fees and the prescribed fee for the employment category. TWP applications can be expedited on payment of an ‘express fee’ and the Department of Immigration will provide a decision within 48 hours. If you have any dependents who want to accompany you, whether they are your children or your spouse, you must add them to the dependents section of the TWP form.
Be aware that strict work permit regulations exist to ensure that Caymanians, spouses of Caymanians, and Permanent Residents with the right to work are considered first for any position available.
Seasonal Workers
If you are looking for a seasonal position in the tourism, hospitality, and water sports industries, your employer would have to apply for a Temporary Work Permit for Seasonal Workers (TWP-S). It is relevant to know that this permit is for a fixed period of eight months, and it can not be extended or renewed.
Global Citizen Certificates
This new initiative of the Global Citizen Concierge Program (GCCP) was launched by the Cayman Islands and allows persons employed outside of the Cayman Islands with the financial independence to work remotely, relocate, and live in the islands for up to two years.
If you want to apply and enjoy the benefits of living in a free-Covid Caribbean territory, you will need to comply with the following criteria. You must provide proof of employment with a company or individuals not registered in the Cayman Islands. It must state position, length of employment, and annual salary. It is required that the applicant has a minimum income of USD 100,000 yearly and, in case of applying with an accompanying spouse or civil partner, base household income of USD 150,000 annually. A notarized bank reference and the last six months of your bank statement and proof of the Employer or Company’s legal existence are also requested to support your application. These proofs can be a Certificate of Incorporation on Registration with an authorized government body, a Certificate of Good Standing, and website details. If you are interested in applying and want to obtain more information, you can send an email to global.