Changes to Guernsey employment permits come into force

The changes aim to help Guernsey employers attract and retain staff

Immigration employment rules in Guernsey have been relaxed in a bid to keep and recruit more staff.

The States said the changes to the island's population and immigration policies meant businesses could recruit staff from anywhere in the world.

It said five-year employment permits had also been scrapped and more workers were eligible for an eight-year stay to help with staff retention.

One-year permits can now be renewed for up to three years.

The Committee for Home Affairs said the reforms followed "far-reaching" changes agreed by the States in October 2022.

It said the aim was to help businesses combat a shortage of workers since Brexit and the pandemic.

Previously, the Employment Permit Policy restricted businesses to recruiting staff from the Common Travel Area and EU countries.

The committee said the removal of the five-year work permit and extending one-year permits to three was aimed at simplifying the system.

'Recruitment opportunities'

It said the number of jobs receiving an eight year permit would be "significantly increased".

Deputy Rob Prow, president of the committee, said the changes would make the application process easier for many.

"It will both streamline the application process for employers, who will now be able to deal with population and immigration matters via a single process, but also open up significant recruitment opportunities for businesses in the island to look further afield for the staff they need," he said.

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