Expert: Robert Clark - 1/13/2010

Question
Dear Mr Clark

My boyfriend and I are South African but we are currently living and working in London.  We are looking for a change of scenery!  Although we are educated, my boyfriend has an Honours BSC degree in Business and Agriculture and I have an Honours Degree in Law, we are looking for any type of work.

Can you advise us on the best possible route on obtaining employment or making contact with anyone who could help us?

We thank you, in advance, for your time and assistance.

Yours Sincerely,

Julianne Fifield

Answer
Julianne
First of all you need to check out some of the resources in my FAQ at http://www.gotocayman.com

Before an expat can be offered a job, the employer has to prove that there isn't a Caymanian that can do this - usually by placing an advert in the local paper.  If that search is unsuccessful, then they can wider their search to include expats.

Having said that, the situation in Cayman work-wise is quite bad.  Government have stop recruiting for all but essential posts.  Also, Cayman has new immigration laws that mean expats can only stay up to a maximum of seven years.  This has meant that some of the professional services, (finance, legal), even though they still have a presence in Cayman, aren't as heavily staffed as they were a few years ago.

If you are lucky to find a job, the employer then has to submit a work permit application, including details of health, police record, etc.  If you were married, you can include dependents, but you won't be able to do this.  Cayman can be quite prudish, so boyfriends/girlfriends can't be listed as dependents.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Robert
http://www.gotocayman.com