The Cayman Islands Government plans to introduce comprehensive immigration reforms in September.
The policy overhaul will feature a two-year employment lock for work permit holders and dramatically extended residency requirements for those married to Caymanians.
Minister for Caymanian Employment and Immigration, Michael Myles, announced the plans during an interview on Radio Cayman on 14 July.
He said the reforms will prohibit temporary work permit holders from changing jobs for a minimum of two years.
Violators will be required to leave the island for at least six months before returning, in a measure that aims to target widespread abuse of the current system.
“What’s tying up our work permit system right now, is that people are coming into the country on a temporary work permit, and they’re coming maybe in janitorial services, and then within three months, they are now in either construction or the hotel industry or somewhere else,” Miles said.
The reforms will also extend marriage-based residency pathways significantly.
Spouses of Caymanians will need to wait seven years before applying for permanent residency, increased from the current one-year requirement.
Those seeking Caymanian citizenship through marriage face a 22-year waiting period.
Enhanced database enforcement will subject job postings to increased scrutiny to ensure Caymanians receive first consideration for employment opportunities.
The ministry will also implement mandatory cultural assimilation programmes for new work permit holders within three to six months of arrival, rather than waiting until permanent residency applications.
Miles described the package as returning to comprehensive reforms that were “watered down” in previous policy documents.
He said the changes aim to ensure “Caymanians are being given first preference when it comes to employment opportunities and certainly succession training”.
The minister emphasised that the reforms target genuine workforce development rather than temporary convenience arrangements that undermine local employment prospects.
The legislation is currently undergoing legal drafting and regulatory review before proceeding to public consultation ahead of the September implementation timeline.
