Qualifications & Experience for Eligibility
Registered Nurses will be required to pass two ‘gates’ in order to work in the Cayman Islands:
- Legal authority to practise as a nurse (registration + practising licence through the Cayman Islands Nursing and Midwifery Council under DHRS)
- Immigration permission to work (WORC, work permit or status), which cannot be granted until condition 1 has been satisfied.
Permitted jurisdictions for RN registration in Cayman
For full registration (Principal registration), Cayman’s Health Practice Regulations set out seven approved jurisdictions. A health practitioner (including nurses) is eligible for full registration if they are fully registered in:
- Australia
- Canada
- Jamaica
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
RNs should have completed RN training and maintained licensure in one of the seven approved countries listed in the Health Practice Law. The typical minimum length of maintained licensure and practice is 3 years, although many employers ask for more.
What documents and proof of standards are required?
Health Practice Regulations list the core evidence that must accompany an application to the relevant Council (for nurses, this is the Nursing and Midwifery Council). Key items include:
- Certified copies of diplomas, certificates, and current licence
- Letter of good standing from the current board of registration (issued within 3 months)
- Two professional references (made within 6 months)
- Police certificate
- Good character reference from a person who has known the applicant for at least 4 years
- Medical report (issued within 6 months, with specific requirements)
- Passport photo and fees
Non-Caymanian applicants must also provide evidence they are or will be affiliated with a registered health care facility in Cayman, or employed by a listed type of institution (including a nursing school).
Institutional registration
This is a different route, used in limited circumstances.
Cayman’s Regulations also provide for “institutional registration and licensure”. This is designed for practice in a designated facility (of which there are only two – Health City Cayman Islands and Total Health), and it can apply where the practitioner is fully registered in a country other than the seven listed jurisdictions.