What should I do if I hate my job but love living in the Cayman Islands and want to stay?
Auntie’s answer: Let me start by saying that I can understand your feelings about Cayman and wanting to live here. You are certainly not unique in loving our islands. I can also sympathise with your unhappiness with your job situation.
The short and simple answer is that you need to find a new job, which I am guessing will not come as a surprise to you.
I suggest you start by going to the Department of Immigration website, to the section on work permits, which contains most of the information relevant to your question.
I wish you had indicated how much time is left on your work permit. If it is relatively short and you feel you can hang on until the permit expires, then my advice would be to do just that. Keep an eye out for other job possibilities and apply for new employment. But keep in mind that you need to seek a job in the same field as the one you have now.
Then when the time comes to renew your permit, you can inform your employer you are moving on, but be absolutely sure your prospective boss is going to apply for a work permit on your behalf to enable you to stay on island while it is processing.
If you can’t hold on until your permit expires before changing jobs you will need your current employer to provide a release letter, thereby freeing you up to seek another job. And again, it would be very ill-advised to seek the release without having another job lined up with a new employer ready to submit a work permit application.
People should be aware that a ‘release’ letter does not have to come from the current employer it can come from the employee or at least that was the case in the past as I’ve done it. All you need to do is write a resignation letter requesting your current employer cancel your permit, copy the same letter but address it to Immigration and submit with your new application. As I say it worked for me and I got that from Immigration staff.
So on this banana republic you basically have to get a release from your slave master. It makes me sick. I believe your human rights afford you the right to employment and restrictive covenants like this are an infringement on those rights, not that it matters here – but if you did want to challenge them I’m sure you’d be successful
Try doing that in Canada and the USA where your work visa is restrictive to your employer and if you choose to break that work visa midday you are to leave the country and will experience difficulty entering ever again.
Only if you try to do it legally.
This is a banana Republic because of persons such as yourself.
Perhaps you should go home?