The ride from the ship to the terminal is about 5 minutes.[101]. Cayman Resident. [118] The jazz, calypso and reggae genres of music styles feature prominently in Cayman music as celebrated cultural influences. Concerns about safety have been expressed by diving instructors, and realtors have also expressed concerns. and Long. The Cayman Islands currently lacks any real liberal or progressive representation in the Parliament or in the form of organized political parties. Few goods are exempt; notable exemptions include books, cameras, gold, and perfume. The territory is considered a major world offshore financial haven for international businesses and wealthy individuals. This making it first deployment for the Cayman Islands Coast Guard and first in 10 years any Cayman Representative has been on a foreign military ship for a counternarcotic operation. A permit may be granted to individuals on special work. Rugby union is a developing sport, and has its own national men's team, women's team, and Sevens team. [6], No archaeological evidence for an indigenous presence has been found on the Cayman Islands. The capital city is George Town on Grand Cayman, which is the most populous of the three islands. According to the Cayman Islands 2018 Compendium of Statistics released by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) the estimated resident population is 65,813 people,[47] broken down as follows: The predominant religion on the Cayman Islands is Christianity [48](81.9%). Tagalog is spoken by about 5% of inhabitants most of whom are Filipino residents on work permits. There is also an active Synagogue and [49]Jewish community on the island as well as places of worship in George Town for Jehovah's Witnesses and followers of the Bahá'í faith. The two parties are notably similar, though they consider each other rivals in most cases, their differences are generally in personality and implementation rather than actual policy. A number of cetaceans are found in offshore waters. In this section we explain how to set up a business in the Cayman Islands including deciphering all the legal formalities. The Cayman Regiment was planned to become operational in 2020, with an initial 35-50 personnel of mostly reservists that are locally recruited and likely initially trained as engineers and expected growth of an increase of personnel to several hundred. [30] Grand Cayman's two "sister islands", Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, are about 120 km (75 mi) east north-east of Grand Cayman and have areas of 38 and 28.5 km2 (14.7 and 11.0 sq mi)[31] respectively. Both governments agree to the term limits on foreign workers, and the majority of Caymanians also agree it is necessary to protect local culture and heritage from being eroded by a large number of foreigners gaining residency and citizenship.[72]. The Cayman Islands, (/ˈkeɪmən/ or the "Caymans" /keɪˈmæn/) is a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea. Available complimentary island-wide. The increasing demand for residential home automation has led to high demand of electrical proficiency in the Cayman Islands. McLaughlin said that since the Cayman Islands emerged from lockdown, it has been in “a holding pattern” waiting for a vaccine, and now that one is here, the community had to come together to do the right thing. The government's primary source of income is indirect taxation: there is no income tax, capital gains tax, or corporation tax. Law firms have been particularly upset by the recruitment difficulties that it has caused. The Cayman Islands Fire Service provides fire prevention, fire fighting and rescue. [25] The islands lie in the northwest of the Caribbean Sea, east of Quintana Roo, Mexico and Yucatán State, Mexico, northeast of Costa Rica, north of Panama, south of Cuba and west of Jamaica. [citation needed], in Mid 2018 the Commander and 2nd in Command of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard were appointed. I recommend that everyone keeps a copy of the Cayman Resident close by, as it is an excellent guide for living and working in the Cayman Islands. Find and research local doctors in the Cayman Islands with doctor bios, qualifications, accepted insurance, contact information and more. Due to the tropical location of the islands, more hurricanes or tropical systems have affected the Cayman Islands than any other region in the Atlantic basin; it has been brushed or directly hit, on average, every 2.23 years.[23]. [17][9], On February 8 1794, the Caymanians rescued the crews of a group of ten merchant ships, including HMS Convert, an incident that has since become known as the Wreck of the Ten Sail. [107] Its headquarters are in George Town and has substations in Frank Sound, West Bay, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The policy has been the subject of some controversy within the press. There is a University of the West Indies Open campus in the territory. [22] Grand Cayman began a major rebuilding process and within two years its infrastructure was nearly returned to pre-hurricane status. [8][9] He named them 'Las Tortugas' due to the large number of turtles found on the islands (which were soon hunted to near-extinction);[8][10] however, in the succeeding decades the islands began to be referred to as the Caymans, after the caimans present there. On 12 October 2019, the government announced the formation of the Cayman Regiment, a new British Armed Forces unit. The complex is separated into an outdoor, six-lane 25-metre (82 ft) swimming pool, full purpose track and field and basketball/netball courts. They are appointed by the Governor in accordance with Her Majesty's instructions, and although they have seats in the Parliament, under the 2009 Constitution, they do not vote. [12] Following several unsuccessful attempts at settlement in what had by now become a haven for pirates,[10] a permanent English-speaking population in the islands dates from the 1730s. The seven Ministers are voted into office by the 19 elected members of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands. 1. any Cayman Islands company or partnership, wherever it may be conducting securities investment business as defined by the Law; or 2. any person who has an established place of business in the Cayman Islands through which he conducts securities investment business as defined by the SIBL. The government charges flat licensing fees on financial institutions that operate in the islands and there are work permit fees on foreign labour. Flag football (CIFFA) has men's, women's and co-ed leagues. There are three cruise terminals in George Town, the North, South, and Royal Watler Terminals. The nearest land mass from Grand Cayman is the Canarreos Archipelago (about 240 km or 150 miles away), whereas the nearest from the easternmost island Cayman Brac is the Jardines de la Reina archipelago (about 160 km or 100 miles away) – both of which are part of Cuba. [9], On 11 September 2004 the island of Grand Cayman, which lies largely unprotected at sea level, was hit by Hurricane Ivan, creating an 8-ft (2.4 m) storm surge which flooded many areas of Grand Cayman. [48] Islanders' accents retain elements passed down from English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers (among others) in a language variety known as Cayman Creole. Regular off-shore marine and air patrols are conducted by the RCIP using a small fleet of vessels and a helicopter. [34][35] Although the barn owl (Tyto alba) occurs in all three of the islands they are not commonplace. [80] The executive authority of the Cayman Islands is vested in the Queen and is exercised by the Government, consisting of the Governor and the Cabinet. Often referred to as Cayman, as in "man" or even just Cayman as in "min". [43] Work permits may, therefore, be granted to foreigners. Duty on automobiles depends on their value. Government employees are no longer exempt from this "rollover" policy, according to this report in a local newspaper. Due to their status as an overseas territory of the UK, the Cayman Islands has no representation either in the United Nations or in most other international organisations. It competes in Division Five of the World Cricket League.[113]. Terrain is mostly a low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs. The lighthouse is the centrepiece of East End Lighthouse Park, managed by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands; the first navigational aid on the site was the first lighthouse in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands national cricket team represents the islands in international cricket. Your one-stop-shop for all your immigration needs, whether you're moving to Cayman for work or applying for a US visa... plus everything in between. Non-Caymanians who are "rolled over" may return to work additional nine-year periods, subject to a one-year gap between their periods of work. Non-Caymanians are only permitted to reside and work within the territory for a maximum of nine years unless they satisfy the criteria of key employees.