Completing your Cayman Islands work permit application can sometimes seem like you’re endlessly jumping through hoops, but it doesn’t have to!

It’s important not to get complacent and bear in mind the following points to prevent delays and 11th-hour stress!

5 Top Tips for Work Permit Applications

1. Is EVERY question completed? The application form specifically instructs you DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTION BLANK. If a question does not apply to you, then insert N/A for “Not Applicable” but do not leave it blank. Far too many times an application is needlessly delayed because a question has been carelessly missed.
2. Having said this…N/A is sometimes not a suitable answer! Although there is no specific Yes/ No box to tick, answering N/A to the question “Have you, or any dependent accompanying you, ever been charged or convicted of a criminal offence in any country?” is simply not accepted by immigration. If you have no shady criminal past to declare, answer NO or NONE.
3. Are you picture perfect? More applications are being turned away recently due to issues with the background colour of the passport photos. These must be white. Not magnolia, not 50 shades of grey but 100%, no doubting it, white!
4. Running out of space? Don’t try and squeeze all your addresses from the last 10 years into the very small space provided. It simply leads to an untidy application and a potential bad impression with the board. Type/ print the answers to questions such as these on a separate piece of plain paper and include them with the application.
5. Check, double-check and then check again! Obvious I know, but you would be astounded at the number of applications we receive with questions unanswered, applications unsigned, missing certificates and even entire pages missing. So, before you hand that wet-ink form over, check that all sections are completed fully, the form is signed, all answers are correct and the form is legible and neat.

Bonus tip:

Once your application is submitted for processing, don’t book your travel tickets until your application is approved. It may be tempting to take advantage of travel deals but you will lose any savings if you have to change your flight dates or spend extra nights in a hotel room. Even complete, compliant applications are sometimes deferred for internal investigations and the timeframes then change.

And when all is said and done and you’ve submitted… may the immigration gods smile upon you!

For additional tips or help with work permit applications, contact our immigration experts Denize Solomon at denize.solomon@cml.ky or Juliette Gilbert at juliette.gilbert@cml.ky to ensure continued success!