Jersey’s Minister for Home Affairs, Deputy Gregory Guida, has announced an exception to the Immigration Work Permit Policy.
This will allow migrant workers from outside the Common Travel Area, who are working in the hospitality sector, to remain beyond the existing nine-month temporary seasonal permission.
The permit extension will allow an additional nine months, to run consecutively to the original permit, without the requirement for the holder to leave Jersey for three months in between. The Minister has approved this one-off exception for anyone currently on a nine-month hospitality work permit, or whose start date is on or before 1st May 2022.
There will be no substantive changes to the Work Permit Policy and the issue will be further examined when reliable data is available on all aspects of Jersey’s market.
Deputy Guida said: “The opportunity for employers to extend their permits by nine months provides much needed and immediate assistance to the hospitality sector. This move will allow time for the labour market to stabilise and for us to gather reliable data before considering any substantive changes to the Work Permit Policy.”
The Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham, said: “This move will help to address a challenge which is being faced by the industry, but extending work permits by another 9 months is only an interim measure.
“All hospitality employers will have this option available to them and I’m grateful to the Jersey Hospitality Association and Jersey Business, who are working hard with the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service to find solutions that will assist the Island in the longer term.”
Claire Boscq, Chief Executive Officer of the Jersey Hospitality Association, said: “We are pleased that the hospitality sector has been given a breathing space that will allow our members to hold onto essential staff for longer, especially after 18 months of disruption. When the restrictions on trading were finally lifted, we were hoping for a swift return to normal business, but as has been widely reported, many venues struggled due to an acute shortage of staff.
“The decision to extend existing work permits is a step in the right direction. It means our members will be able to keep the loyal and hardworking team members who have helped their businesses through tough times this year when normally they would have to leave at the end of their nine-month permit. This will help those businesses as we head into the winter months and provides certainty as they prepare for the busy summer season next year.
“We understand the concerns that Ministers had with our original proposal, and we hope that this temporary extension will produce enough data to provide a more permanent solution to the staffing challenges our members are facing.”
The Work Permit Policy provides that, where it can be demonstrated that labour cannot be found from within the Common Travel Area, a business case can be submitted to the Minister for Home Affairs for consideration of an amendment to the policy.
This process is available to employers in all sectors, and such applications must be robust. The Minister previously (in January 2021) approved the introduction of a new temporary work permit for construction workers, following a business case submitted by the Jersey Construction Council. This one-off exception to hospitality work permits was agreed following a business case prepared by the Jersey Hospitality Association.
All those in the Island who are not British or Irish require an immigration permission to work. If a person does not hold settled or pre-settled status then employers must apply for an Immigration Work Permit to employ them. Employers must ensure they have the necessary ‘registered’ permissions available on their Business Licence before applying for immigration work permits.
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