"Rollover" victims

The Cayman Islands government doesn't let just anyone move here. In order to obtain my initial 6 month work permit, I had to provide: a police clearance certificate, complete medical report, STD test results and passport sized photos (I am happy to report that I am syphilis-free). Thankfully, Cayman immigration didn't require character references and I was able to sneak in...

Once you get here, you must continue to renew your work permit - usually every 2 years. However, thanks to a law affectionately referred to as "the rollover", an ex-pat's days on the island are numbered. Rather than make you struggle through my attempt to explain it, I am going to rely on my friend, Wikipedia.

"The Cayman Islands presently imposes a controversial "rollover" policy in relation to expatriate workers who require a work permit. Non-Caymanians are only permitted to reside and work within the Territory for a maximum of seven years (non-renewable) unless they satisfy the criteria of key employees. The policy has been the subject of some controversy within the press, and concerns have been expressed that in the long term, the policy may damage the pre-eminence of the Cayman Islands as an offshore financial centre by making it difficult to recruit and retain experienced staff from onshore financial centres. Government employees are exempt, although this has also been controversial.
This policy is enshrined in the Immigration Law (2003 revision), written by the UDP government, and subsuqently enforced by the PPM government. 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/citizenship."

If someone is forced to leave Cayman due to the "rollover", they must remain off island for at least one year before they can return.

Over the past couple of months, I have become a big fan of a local rock cover band called "Ratskyn". They perform every Wednesday night at a bar called "Bed" and are fantastic. They play anything from Kiss to The Hip. My friends and I spend most of our Wednesday nights in Bed... dancing like nobody's watching.

Unfortunately, Ratskyn's lead singer has fallen victim to the "rollover". He is being forced to leave Cayman in 2 weeks. I fail to see how this benefits the island and protects local culture. The other members of the band are Caymanian. They put on an amazing show, which must impress tourists, thereby benefitting the island's tourism industry. In addition to being great musicians, they also perform concerts for charity. This is certainly Cayman's loss.

Zac has a tremendous voice and is an amazing performer. To top it off, he's Canadian! I am really going to miss him and the fun he brings to my Wednesday nights. Zac, nobody rocks like you...

http://www.ratskyn.com/