Nine refused, 545 still waiting: care, hospitality and finance jobs held in permit queue
- Only nine of this year's 1,000 long-term employment permit applications have been refused, 545 were still awaiting a decision on 22 October.
- Health and social care, hospitality and accountancy make up six in ten applications, and 325 of those still waiting.
- Applications for jobs outside the official policy list have fared worst, with 88 of 98 undecided.
- Home Affairs says application numbers are no higher than in recent years and has linked the pressure to the three-year limit on short-term permits.
- The permit team has grown from 13 to 16, with six temporary officers planned and a review of population policy about to start.
Almost every employer who applies for a long-term employment permit gets one.
The problem is getting an answer.
Of 1,000 applications submitted between 1 January and 22 October, just nine had been refused, figures released under Freedom of Information show.
A further 419 had been approved and 27 withdrawn. But 545, more than half, were still awaiting a decision.
What a long-term permit is
A long-term employment permit allows an employer to bring someone to the island to fill a specific full-time job. It can last up to eight years.
Holders can bring dependent family members and live in Local Market housing, and when the permit ends they can expect to become established residents.
A short-term permit, by contrast, is issued a year at a time, on a lodgings basis only, and does not allow family.
Where the applications are
Three sectors dominate.
Health and social care accounted for 264 applications, hospitality 178 and accountancy 160. Between them they make up six in ten applications, and 325 of those still waiting.
The pace of decisions varies sharply.
In hospitality and accountancy, almost six in ten applications were undecided. In legal services the figure was a quarter, and in education 15%. Of 19 applications for secondary school teachers, 18 had been approved.
The bigger picture
Each square in this chart is one application.
The nine red squares are the refusals, about 2% of the 428 applications decided.
The figures are a snapshot. They show how many applications were waiting on 22 October, but not when each was submitted or how long it has been in the queue.
Jobs outside the list
The States keeps a list of in-policy posts that employers can recruit to from off-island.
Employers can still apply for jobs that are not on it, but those applications are considered case by case.
They are the ones stuck longest. Of 98 out-of-policy applications, 88 were awaiting a decision, compared with about half of applications for listed posts. Three of the nine refusals were out-of-policy applications.
The others were three sous chefs, a night manager, a stonemason foreman and a retail supervisor.
In an update to the States at the end of October, Home Affairs president Deputy Marc Leadbeater said employment permit applications in the first quarter of 2026 had been broadly in line with recent years.
The pressure came in March, he said, when the Assembly's three-year limit on short-term permits began to bite for the first time since the regime was introduced.
The committee had earlier said the limit, and the end of transitional arrangements, led to more out-of-policy requests and complex referrals.
The jobs waiting
The single largest category is regulated health professionals, with 164 applications, 66 of them undecided. Among other common roles, 71% of applications for care support workers, 81% for audit assistants and 79% for head chefs were still waiting.
What is being done
The committee agreed a temporary extension in March for people reaching their short-term permit limit, and backed a support plan at the start of the summer to ease operational pressure and improve customer service.
Deputy Leadbeater told the States on 21 October that the committee recognised continuing concerns about processing times "and the potential impact of changes in leadership".
The Population Management team has grown from 13 to 16, with one more person due to join and six temporary officers planned if the next recruitment round succeeds.
As of 17 September, the service had 3,886 permit and certificate applications of all types needing action in total.
"The figures didn't make for great reading; however, the extent of the issue is now clear and the focus is on tackling the backlog in a timely way," Deputy Leadbeater said. "That will require an injection of resources."
What comes next
The committee is due to begin engaging with industry and other committees in the coming weeks on a wider review of population policy.
Deputy Leadbeater said the regime needed to "evolve and flex to respond to the needs of industry", while acknowledging "the consequences of accessing a worldwide employment pool on our island".
Q&A
Q: What is the difference between long-term and short-term employment permits?
A: A long-term employment permit can last up to eight years, allows holders to bring dependent family members, live in Local Market housing, and become established residents when it ends. A short-term permit is issued one year at a time, on a lodgings-only basis, and does not allow family members.
Q: Why did the backlog of employment permit applications surge in March?
A: The backlog surged in March when the Assembly's three-year limit on short-term permits began to bite for the first time since the regime was introduced. This led to more out-of-policy requests and complex referrals as people reached their short-term permit limits.
Q: What is being done to address the processing delays?
A: The Population Management team has grown from 13 to 16 staff members, with one more person due to join and six temporary officers planned if the next recruitment round succeeds. The committee also agreed to a temporary extension in March for people reaching their short-term permit limit and backed a support plan to ease operational pressure and improve customer service.
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