Monday, January 25, 2010Cayman Reviews Rollover Policy

Kevin SherevesPlans To Review Rollover Policy

Premier McKeeva Bush has promised that changes will be made to the Immigration Law, which would require expatriate workers subject to the rollover policy to remain out of the country for a shorter period of time.

“The current Immigration Law is causing Caymanians to lose jobs and we are examining the rollover policy, with a view to changing it,” Mr Bush said during his speech at the Cayman Business Outlook 2010 held on 21 January 2010 at the Ritz Carlton.

The rollover policy currently states that expatriate workers must be away from the Cayman Islands for a period of one year, following a maximum of seven years working here, before they can return and get another work permit.

The original section of the Immigration Law required that expatriate workers be away from the Islands for a period of two years. “I am proposing a change to the rollover policy with the view of cutting down on the rollover time,” Mr Bush said.

Mr Bush explained that, when the Immigration Law was passed, it was intended “to protect the Cayman Islands and our people.”

The rollover policy was established to prevent expatriate workers from remaining in the Cayman Islands for more than 10 consecutive years, which would allow an expatriate the right of security of tenure.

Mr Bush said that the Immigration Review Team (IRT) is looking at how the mandatory one year term can be reduced to reflect a period of anywhere from three to six months.

“The current one-year time period required upon being rolled over, is being examined to see if the time frame should be reduced to three or six months,” he said.

On revising the Immigration Law, Mr Bush said, “The Government is doing what we believe is necessary to protect the long-term interests of the Caymanian people,” adding, “We cannot just be a transitory country and survive in this new economy.”

Mr Bush said that, due to the current policy, many expatriates have little commitment to the country. “Our immigration problem is a huge issue,” he said.

Mr Bush explained that businesses have complained that they are finding it harder to keep personnel “because people are being rolled over and are now looking at other jurisdictions, and businesses are leaving the Islands, resulting in Caymanians losing their jobs, and we are being hurt all round because of the rollover policy,” said Mr Bush.

He also said that the Immigration Law is paramount in helping to revive the economy. “It is very possible to attract inward investment, by encouraging those already here to stay, while at the same time protecting Caymanian jobs,” he said.

The Premier said that he has had one-on-one contact with several businesses operating in the Cayman Islands. “I can say that interim results show that immigration is a key issue for business, if we wish to maintain our economic sectors over the long term,” he said.

Mr Bush also said that he has witnessed what can happen regarding the refusal of work permits for senior staff for companies doing business in the Cayman Islands.

“Due to the immigration policy, some companies have chosen to restructure their business unit in such a manner that the services carried out here on these Islands, are moved to other jurisdictions.” He added, “So, when those companies leave for other jurisdictions, it results in the loss of jobs for Caymanians, while our current approach seems to be pushing some companies away,” he said.

It is not a simple matter of protecting one or two senior positions for Caymanians he said, “It is also about protecting dozens of support and middle management jobs for Caymanians,” adding, “We are of the view that we cannot continue to lose businesses and jobs to other countries.”

Mr Bush explained that there are hundreds of elderly Caymanians who have had people working with them for years, “who do their banking, who they trust, who drive for them and take care of them,” he said.

“Elderly folks across the country are telling me that they do not want new people. They say that the problem is that we are pushing out people that we know, and bringing in people who we do not know.”

“That is the kind of social situation impacting our Island. It is causing a loss of jobs and business, and it is impacting our senior citizens,” he stated.

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