About Cayman
Immigration & Work Permits
Handy Hints

About the Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands comprises Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The three islands are situated in the western Caribbean, about 150 miles south of Cuba, 480 miles south of Miami, Florida, and 180 miles northwest of Jamaica. George Town, the capital, is on the western shore of Grand Cayman. Grand Cayman, the largest of the three islands, is approximately 22 miles long with an average width of four miles. Of its total area of about 78 square miles, almost half is wetland. The island is low-lying, with the highest point only about 60 feet above sea level.

As a British Overseas Territory, the Cayman Islands operates as a parliamentary democracy. The country’s constitution is issued by the British Crown; however, citizens have enjoyed a representative government for more than 160 years. The Cayman Islands is the world’s fifth largest banking centre. Its thriving offshore financial industry, primarily centered on offshore banking, insurance and investment companies, has grown since the 1990s and continues to do so. Cayman have the highest standard of living in the Caribbean.

Although the Cayman Islands has a high cost of living, professionals are paid outstanding, tax-free salaries that enable people to save money and build up a substantial nest egg. Cayman has also become the hedge fund and alternative investment product centre of the world, due to its business-friendly environment with few regulatory hurdles, which allows leading financial institutions to create innovative products for institutional and sophisticated investors.

About 58 percent of the total work force are non-Caymanians having been admitted under the work permit system, which controls the inflow of foreign skills and labor needed. There are over 92 different nationalities represented in Cayman. The majority of the expatriate are from Jamaica, UK, USA, Canada, Philippines and South American countries. The main language is English. Spanish is frequently spoken as a second language.

The temperature, summer or winter, seldom goes lower than 70 deg. F. or higher than 90 deg. F. The average is 82 deg. F. in the winter and about 84 deg. F in the summer. The average annual humidity in 2000 was 77 percent.

The local currency is the Cayman Island, or CI, dollar with a fixed exchange rate of CI$1.00 = US$1.20. Local prices tend to be somewhat higher than those in the United States as most of Cayman’s products are imported.

Immigration & Work Permits:
In order for a non-Caymanian to work in the Cayman Islands their employer must obtain a work permit from the Cayman Islands Immigration Department. It is necessary for an expatriate worker to provide the employer with certain documentation to be included in the application, but it is the financial obligation of the employer to pay for all work permit and immigration related fees. The application process include various forms that must be completed, a medical examination and a police clearance certificate are also two parts of the process. For more information please visit. www.gov.ky/immigration

Handy Hints
Before you leave: Obtain references from your bank and any records with credit companies. This will make it easier to open a bank account in the Cayman Islands.

Obtain letter from your auto insurance carrier stating your no claim record, as this will help with securing a more economical rate with an on island auto insurance carrier should you wish to purchase a vehicle.