Some workers will not have to meet Cayman’s new work permit advertising requirements.
The exemptions are set out in an updated immigration guide issued by the Ministry of Border Control, Labour and Culture on 18 Aug.
The guide says positions involving personal employers do not have to be advertised on the Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) Jobs Portal or in a local newspaper.
The exemption covers domestic helpers, caregivers, nannies, butlers, gardeners, handymen and farm hands.
Pastors and ministers of religion are also exempt from the mandatory advertising requirement.
A third exemption applies to positions where the WORC director or relevant board has approved an advertising waiver before the work permit application is submitted.
The guide says advertising remains encouraged where feasible even when a position falls within one of the exempt categories.
The clarification comes after the government moved beyond the transitional period for immigration reforms that took effect on 1 May.
For other work permit applications, employers seeking a grant or renewal must show that the position has been advertised for at least 21 days through both the WORC electronic Jobs Portal and a locally printed newspaper.
The newspaper advertisement must run for three consecutive weeks with at least one advertisement published each week.
The June version of the guide included the 21-day requirement but did not identify the three categories as exemptions.
Instead, it included a transitional provision under which applications submitted by 30 June could rely on advertisements that met the previous 14-day requirement.
That grace period has been removed from the 18 Aug. edition.
The updated guide also retains other work permit rules introduced under the immigration reforms.
Work permit holders generally cannot change employers during their first two years. Those who leave an employer before then must leave Cayman for at least one year before another employer can apply for a work permit for them, subject to specified exemptions.
Domestic helpers are exempt from that restriction when changing employers while remaining employed as domestic helpers.
Employers must notify the WORC director within seven days when employment ends.
A failure to make the notification can result in a fine of up to CI$20,000, imprisonment for up to two years or both.
The updated guide describes itself as a high-level summary of the Caymanian Protection Act and supporting regulations. It also states that the guide is not a substitute for legal advice.
