Hi,


Myself and my husband have been researching a move to the Cayman Islands and I have been in touch with a few recruitment agencies. All of the info out there says that I need a job to apply for a work permit and make the move, but the recruitment agencies want me to be resident already- is there something I am missing?


Also, the new resident blog states that you can rollover permits for nine years, but another page states a maximum of seven.


Can anyone shed some light for me?


Many Thanks

7 years is the norm, but some people can get extensions for another 2 years.

I don't know about the recruitment agencies. Maybe it depends on what kind of jobs you're seeking. What kind of jobs are you seeking, and what qualifications and experience do you have? In forums like this, it's always helpful not to be too stingy with the information provided. How old are you? What dependents do you have? What jobs? Etc.

Hi, thank you for your reply.


I am 34, I have no formal accounting qualifications but have over 14 years in accounts. I did three years with NAF (US air force) Accounts and have worked within retail, service and hospitality. I also ran a hotel for a few years.


My husband has been in the Police for 8 years- obviously it would have been better for us to move with a recruitment drive but we don't want to wait x amount of years on a maybe.


Our son is 6, so I will need to make enough for two dependants initially. We have no other ties.


I have done a fair amount of research before contacting any agencies, but I am still looking into other places- Cayman is forerunner at the moment though.


I am also 80 credits short of a Law degree, however I had to finish before I completed due to a car accident and having worked in a solicitors during this time I have no desire to practise. Would I be best off not even putting this on my cv?


Many Thanks for your help.

I think they want to meet you first before they sign you. Not quite sure they mean legally resident as you cant be resident without either a work permit or fulfill some other criteria for residency. As you have varied work experience, they are not sure what time of placement they could get for you. Decide what type of work you are looking for and apply to companies directly and the rest of the recruitment companies.
I would put the law studies on the resume as a positive, indicating you are mid way through your studies.
Rollover as Gordon said, is seven years. If you are key worker and/or important then company can try and get you an additional two years.

"Resident" in that context usually means someone who has gone through the Work Permit process before, and is already in local employment. They have priority over first-timers. Orangepants's opinion is correct: recruiters would want to meet you in person.

I think your husband would stand a better chance applying to the local Police. They're always appealing for recruits. As an accounting clerk, you might not be allowed to bring in two dependents: he might be, depending on his salary.

Thank you for your replies.

I think the Cayman might have to be ruled out since the local police have no future plans to recruit internationally and even then according to his salary he would only be allowed one dependant (although that may different since government employees do not need a work permit).

Back to the drawing board, unless something does open up in the meantime.

Sorry to jump in late. I was there last week ( We have not expanded in the financial sector in ways before the crash) and my company vertical will not send anyone without a college degree, and no fresh recruits from the island either.

It is become very difficult to make a case for non graduate foreigner. Room occupancy in hotels has been soft, hedge funds have closed even their token operations, that is the 38,000 ft overview.

Go visiting, scope it out, see if you get an offer.

Thank you.


We are going to go for a holiday next year and talk to a few companies. I have decided to do the open university and will have finished my degree by June 2017 so it just means sticking it out here for a while longer. Who knows things may have picked up by then.

Well, as a 37-year resident of the island, I damn well hope it picks up! But... the main obstacle is the desperately poor quality of our political class. By law, ALL our MLAs (MPs, more or less) have to have no more than minimal overseas exposure, and by strong custom they have to be bloodline Caymanians. The result is that both major parties are openly anti-expatriate, and committed to inefficiency. Sad but true.

I hope so too for your sake then! If I may ask, if you had a do over, would you make the same choices?

Probably. The good has always out-ranked the bad, although it's been a tight decision sometimes. Back in 1988-90 I had to get stamped in every month or two as a tourist, when the politicians were trying to deport me. That was a rough time; but I do like to get my own way...!