EDITORIAL

Time for immigration reform that really works

Tuesday,  January 10, 2006

Since the early 1970s the Immigration Law in the Cayman Islands has been a bone of contention with numerous people here as the community has been dependent on overseas labour in every sector of our economy.
As yet, no real working formula has been arrived at, that truly addresses the complex needs of a country where half of the workforce is imported.

We are in desperate need of an Immigration Law that enables all of the various commercial sectors here to secure the talent they need and to continue growing. From tourism to the offshore industry we need an immigration policy that works.

However, frustratingly each successive Government Administration comes to office seeking to re-shape and reform the existing law only to create more often than not more anomalies or ambiguities that employers here continue to deal with on a daily basis.

Instead of creating a law once and for all which suits the country’s recruitment and employment needs, each successive Government has tried to pander to the trends or preferences of their political supporters of the day and have often used the Immigration rules to manipulate the community.

The Immigration Law here is now extremely complicated and covers so many different things that most people have no real understanding of all the areas. This is extremely problematic as has been shown recently by various sectors of the economy, with the current confusion over exemptions on the ‘residency’ or ‘leave’ issue.

The problems that need addressing are plentiful. The visa requirements for Jamaicans, the much talked about policy to reduce the size of the Jamaican workforce, problems over brining dependents, the arguments over residency and exemption and the time periods involved, are just a few.

The time periods for temporary or permanent work permits, the varying costs and requirements depending on the role are also difficult issues that employers grapple with day in day out as no commercial entity here has the luxury of employing only Caymanians.

The issue of dependency has raised many problems. Most workers here cannot afford to bring their families, which is heartbreaking for them to leave loved ones at home. For those that do manage to bring dependents here the financial strains are hard in a place where although salaries are high, so is the cost of living including school fees for any children.

Will it therefore be too much to hope that this current Government will be able to unravel the complexities of the existing law with the latest review?
Whatever the outcome, it is important for those charged with overhauling immigration regulations that appreciate the basic issue here, that this country is dependent on immigration to keep the economy humming. And as every employer has to import labour to grow and be successful the law needs to reflect and appreciate these needs.

Some employers in the offshore sector, are competing for a small number of international specialists who are among the highest paid personnel in the world, and making it difficult to secure this extremely specialist talent will undermine the offshore sector’s development.

Furthermore, the Cayman Islands needs to come to terms with its international workforce and welcome those who come from overseas, no matter their country of origin, and work hard to make this country richer.

If the all-foreign workers from investment bankers and lawyers to security guards and chefs were to take just one day off here the Island would virtually grind to a halt – and this is no joke.

There would be no Cayman Net News, Observer or Caymanian Compass, radios would malfunction, the hospital would be on full emergency close, hotels, bars and restaurants would close.

Dive trips would be cancelled, shops would remain shuttered and we daresay most of Government itself could grind to a halt along with the Courts and George Town Police Station. 

The beaches however would be probably full of the thousands and more of ex-pat workers enjoying a beautiful day under the Cayman sun.

We seriously need a new Immigration Law that works. If we are to enjoy continued prosperity, simply put, we need it as a matter of urgency.

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