The coalition government says it is on track to bring back legislation to “protect our way of life” and to reset the balance between expats and Caymanians.
That could mean a return to the Caymanian Protection Law, which was originally introduced in 1971 and regulated who could live and work in the Cayman Islands. It also ensured that people had to meet certain criteria – such as being born in Cayman to Caymanian parents or having long-term ties to the islands – to be officially recognised as Caymanian.
First phase
The legislation was repealed and replaced by the Immigration Law in 2003 but, speaking at the celebration of 100 days in government last week, Minister for Caymanian Employment and Immigration Michael Myles said a return to the act was part of government’s plans on immigration reform.
He said the first wave of immigration reform will come into force in October with later phases planned further down the line.
“We’re going back to the Caymanian Protection Act,” Myles said.
“The goal is that Caymanians have to be protected. Fifty years ago, we had a legislation that protected Caymanians. We’ve gotten rid of it because we turned immigration into a bank. It can’t be that. It has to still be a protection for people and a screening instrument to protect our way of life.”
Myles said that the plans were part of major immigration and employment reforms by government over the next few years, with his ultimate goal being employment for every Caymanian.
With 40,000 work permits in the Cayman Islands, Myles said that he was not talking about replacing every expat in the country. He said, however, that while government spends tens of millions of dollars every year on making sure young people receive a tertiary education overseas, they struggle to find employment once they return home.
“We’re spending upwards of $35 to $40 million on educating our children and they’re coming back to our country and they can’t get employment,” he said.
“That’s simply wrong. And it’s not that they are not qualified or lack experience. What we are simply doing is prioritising business over our people, and we can’t continue to do it that way.”
Work ahead on Caymanian protection
While he said that much had been achieved in the first 100 days of government, there was still a lot of work to be done, including resetting the balance between expats and Caymanians.
“I’m not going to apologise for being pro-Caymanian,” he said.
“I am not anti-expat, but I have seen the depths of our country, and it doesn’t look great, when I have parents, grandparents and young people calling me telling me that [they] not only can’t find a job, that they are living in squalor. You think the people on Public Beach care about that stuff? They don’t … The only time it bothers them is when someone is kicking down their door, and now they’re calling the government for more police officers.”
He pointed out that government spends millions of dollars on welfare in a country that is one of the world’s financial centres.
He added, “When I see those figures, it’s staggering. So our responsibility now as a government is to even the playing field and balance it towards Caymanians winning, not the other way around.”
Myles also had some direct words for the hospitality industry which, he said, should employ more Caymanians rather than recruit from overseas.
“We have almost 500 jobs coming online at Grand Hyatt,” he said.
“Who’s going to fill them? If we don’t ensure that those jobs are in play for Caymanians, then just think about the traffic jams, the food insecurity that we’re already facing, the congestion that we have on our roads, and the housing shortages.”
Companies had to look closer to home to fill vacancies, he said, and offer the same benefits that are offered when recruiting from places overseas.
“And when we don’t do that, we’re cheating the Cayman Islands people.”
Government has already increased the minimum wage level to $8.75, which will come into force at the beginning of next year. The hospitality industry is being allowed to use gratuities to top up wages to the legal amount for the time being, but, Myles said, that will taper off in time.
“The Cayman Island Tourism Association either have to get on board or become extinct,” he warned, “because what I’m not going to have is them telling me that you need gratuities to balance your books.”