NOW, THE REAL ‘WORC’ STARTS

The single issue of amending the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment and Validation) Bill 2025 not only dominated last week’s meeting of Parliament but will be the dominant feature driving Cayman’s immigration policy for the foreseeable future.

Meant principally to rebalance current trends and practices in the labour market to the advantage of Caymanian nationals, the wide-ranging changes have also seen late-stage amendments to the original amendments and the introduction of new clauses.

And, there could be further changes ahead as Cayman grapples with the economically and socially delicate task of a ‘managed migration’ system that the pillars of its economy rely on. (Work permit fees - with increased rates and tighter oversight - are a key government revenue source from mainly financial services, tourism, construction, education and health sectors).

Cayman with its enviable first-world economy, finds itself in a dichotomy where expatriates make up more than half of the population, unemployment is trending at an equally enviable low of 2.9 per cent (where  expatriates comprise more than half of the labour force), yet claims persist of Caymanians struggling to get jobs and struggling more to progress when they do get one.

The changes to the immigration laws are intended to correct that.

As was stated during the two-day session, “this is more than immigration reform, this is a reset”.

This reset extends to how Caymanian citizenship is awarded to non-nationals whether by extended length of stay and more stringent requirements surrounding marriage.

That 15 of the 19 members of Parliament voted in support of the measures across party lines is telling. It tells us that politicians have listened to voters who have told them what they’ve wanted over many years and elections. Four members of the main opposition were absent from the final Parliamentary vote; one due to a business conflict with the legislation, and another said to be out of the territory.

Immigration is one of the most divisive global issues of the modern era. It’s an issue about borders that knows no borders. The Cayman case is more nuanced and complex in that while it’s less about illegal immigration, the core issue is about managing the legal migration with its implications for ‘jobs for Caymanians’, the economy, culture and population growth.

Coming out of the landmark changes to the immigration law intended to ‘reform and re-balance’ the system to the advantage of Caymanians, a more delicate balancing act awaits. That will determine how Cayman itself navigates and manages the changes to what is expected to revert to the title of the original 1971 law (repealed in 2003) - The Caymanian Protection Law. The suggestion by Hon. Min. For Finance Rolston Anglin to consider the name ‘Cayman Integration Law’ as an alternative has merit. Nuance matters in these delicate matters.

Also, with the governing coalition operating under the banner of the National Coalition For Caymanians(NCFC), and the Labour Ministry rebranded to the Ministry for Caymanian Employment and Immigration, a campaign promise will have been achieved.

It’s now that the real work - especially that of the pre-coalition and equally-aptly-named Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman(WORC) - will begin, if this is to really work.