Working online and off-island

| 05/12/2016

Is it legal for someone who is off-island to do online work for a local company?


Auntie’s answer: This could easily have been a one-word answer, allowing Auntie to take the rest of the day off, but I wanted to give you your money’s worth so will add some context.

For those who do not want to read any farther, the answer is yes. There is nothing in the Immigration Law that applies to anyone working outside of the Cayman Islands.

cns-vampt-ask-auntie-bannerFor everyone else, I found this question pointed to some interesting scenarios. In our ever-shrinking (at least digitally) world the outsourcing industry is rapidly growing. I’m sure many people are aware of businesses and individuals in Cayman who use overseas techies to build websites and handle related computer/software issues. I don’t know that anyone here worries specifically about the legality of that arrangement but in any case they can blithely continue outsourcing those jobs.

I suspect, however, that your question more likely has to do with someone getting rolled over and hoping to maintain a working relationship with their about-to-be former employer (or any other company here), with an eye to returning after the mandatory year away.

It seems as far as the Department of Immigration is concerned, if you are not on our shores, you can work remotely for a Cayman company.

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Category: Ask Auntie, Immigration Questions

Comments (7)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Often this is necessary when someone borderline “suitable qualified” is sniffing around the market.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Isn’t this why most companies have their IT dept outsourced from India?

  3. Anonymous says:

    There are many individuals that are employed by local high street legal & financial firms , who work [ totally ] in other countries. They may show up here for a few weeks a year or Jersey , Guernsey , Hong Kong , Vancouver , London office branch of the company , but they are paid totally by the Cayman company without the need to have a foot on the ground here. Their families benefit from access to health care, social services and pension plan in their country of residence , without the necessity of participating in the overpriced and useless schemes that exist in Cayman. Many of them were once long term residents of Cayman that owned homes , injected solid cash into the economy , children in schools, employed people for their homes & children , etc. But the light bulb went off that this was a better arrangement for them.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Too. Too. Too.
    And you run a company with 10+ employees?
    Come on man!!

  5. Z says:

    I keep about 10 employees in Canada for my business. I would prefer to have them here with me in Cayman, but to much red tape/cost/ and government interference. Until the government learns they cannot micromanage other peoples companies I will not risk to much.

    • Anonymous says:

      Grammar Popo here.. You do not know how to use to and too. You probably do not know how to use their, there or they’re either.
      Many lose respect for those that do not know how to use their grammar when they spell. Me? it’s like fingers scraping down a chalkboard.
      A typo is a completely different matter. Z, this was no typo. You might not think it’s important but people do notice.