(CMR) As employers continue to commit immigration breaches, especially by employing persons without work permits, Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) indicated that it collected over CI $320,000 in fines last year.
For 2022, there were one hundred and fifty-three (153) breaches for a total fine amount of CI $351,660.00, of which CI $320,210 were collected, CI $30,400 still to be collected, and CI $7,250 was deemed uncollectible, WORC revealed.
During the fourth quarter of 2022, WORC levied administrative fines amounting to CI$82,690.00 on companies and individuals in breach of the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision).
The fined offenses include Employment without a work permit; Making a false representation; Providing incomplete details; Unlawful payment of a work permit; Employment outside the terms and conditions of a work permit; Working outside of the terms of a work permit; Working without a work permit; Failure to disclose Caymanian applicant; Obstruction of Officers; Failure to answer truthfully; and Failure to notify the Board.
The fourth quarter fines related to forty-eight (48) offenses, with the top offenses being employing persons without a permit, persons working outside the terms and conditions of a work permit, and making a false representation.
“We acknowledge a delay in processing; however, employers who become impatient and allow their workers to work without permits or to work outside of their permit terms may open themselves up to greater scrutiny and may be flagged as high risk, potentially perpetuating delays in future processing of applications,” WORC Director Jeremy Scott said.
WORC said it would continue to investigate reports made to them. Individuals who want to make a complaint or provide information about illegal working activities or other breaches of the Immigration Act may do so anonymously by completing the online form on www.worc.ky under the Complaints tab or by directly reporting the complaint to [email protected].
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