Expert: John Gump - 9/8/2009

Question
QUESTION: Dear John

I am a 48 yr old New Zealander, (Northern Ireland passport as well)married to a Bermudian born woman, we have two children 15 -8yrs)
We are currently living in Alabama USA as I have a company (in the Oil & Gas industry)in Mississippi & another in Singapore.
We would like to relocate to Grand cayman island, I can show sufficient means & would not need to work there, what do I need ? is it possible to stay there? who do I contact?


ANSWER: Hi Peter - sorry for the delay in responding to you, I had a long Labor Day weekend.  What a great place to choose to live, it's wonderful there.  Well, the short answer to your question is absolutely, yes, you can live there.  In Cayman, without needing or applying for a work permit, you'll need to prove an annual income of at least CI$150,000 without the need to have a job in Cayman and you'll be required to make an investment of CI$750,000, a third needs to be real estate. The status is good for 25 yrs. You'll need to gain permanent resident status which will require you to contact the Cayman Immigration Dept.  They'll advise you of the latest laws, fees (which are high...somewhere in the $15k range).  The last family I knew that gained perm residence was from the UK and they lived on island for about 1 year if I remember correctly then began applying for perm status.  The rules however may have changed somewhat so definitely contact your consulate.  Since it sounds like you'll not have any money issues I'd say your chances are very high that the Cayman gov't. will permit you perm status.  You'll likely start out with a long term Visa and then depending on how long it takes Cayman to grant you perm status you may have to renew your Visa a couple times.

The phone number for the NZ embassy in the U.S. is  1-202-328-4800.  This is the D.C. office, however there are many other conusulate offices around the country but I'm thinking the embassy will direct you to the right one.

The Cayman Immigration Department is also a good choice, maybe even better.  They are on (345) 949 8344.

I wish you the best Peter!

John


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear John

Thanks so much, I appreciate your help immensley, where would you recommend living? we don't wish to be too far from the schools, (possibly the International school (what school do you recommend?), would like to live on a canal so easy boating. We would wish to see the sunset everynight & not too far from supermarket etc

Best Regards
Pete

Answer
Hi Pete - thanks for your kind words and ratings by the way.   Let me know a few things to help me narrow down some areas for you.  It'd be helpful to know whether you want a condo/townhouse or single family home, your general budget, do you need a boat slip on your property.  There are a great many places, but in the end it's all about location.  Sunsets will force you to the beach or West Bay.  There aren't any single family homes on the SMB, but there are places in West Bay with slips/canals that are detached homes and should get you a nice sunset.  

As for schools, I'd recommend the private schools.  There are Montessori schools there along with many Christian schools.  The Cayman academy is also good.  Expensive but definitely worth it.  

West bay would put you furthest away from G-town, schools, etc., but if you know when to hit the road you can avoid the crazy rush hour traffic on West Bay Rd, and it is nuts for such a small island.  Total time w/o rush hour is about 15 mins, but could easily be over an hour during rush hour. If you want all those amenities you'll have to sacrifice something, and in this case it's time.  Now, you could also look south of G-town, but I don't believe there are any boat slips/canals there.  You'd need to hook up with one of the many marinas on island, but you'd be closer to the schools and less commuting time.  

FYI - I'm going to be away starting Thursday this week until end of Sept so just in case you try to reach me after Thursday, I'll be back the 28th.  Thanks Pete

John