Delphine and Mike Pesrin, who own the businesses Dhaka and 2 Frenchies, said that navigating the current population management system had become an ‘increasingly untenable situation’.
They have written to Home Affairs, stating that delays of 12 to 17 months for long-term employment permits have become routine, and were actively damaging businesses.
In their letter to the committee, which is responsible for population management, the business owners said that the current delays were trapping workers in limbo and were holding back the island’s economy.
They said they had staff waiting 17 months on a decision for a long-term permit and one member of their staff had not seen his daughter since arriving in Guernsey in 2023 because of repeated delays around the renewal of a one-year permit.
The business, and its staff, faced the reality of current permits being due for renewal while previous applications were still unresolved, multiple applications being stuck awaiting approval long after submission, and some workers being unable to travel for genuine family emergencies or important events, because leaving the island would risk their entire application and future ability to return.
‘These are not isolated cases. Speaking with other hospitality operators confirms this is now the accepted reality across the sector. Local people are not applying for these roles in sufficient numbers,’ said Mr and Mrs Pesrin.
‘Guernsey still needs chefs, bakers, counter staff, kitchen porters, housekeepers and builders. The system that is supposed to enable that labour is instead blocking it.’
Mr and Mrs Pesrin said that in the middle of one of the hottest summers on record, they were aware of hotels being unable to serve food by the pool because they were short-staffed.
‘Guests are here, the weather is perfect, and the service cannot be delivered. They need staff now, not in the middle of January when the season is over and the opportunity has already been lost,’ they said.
‘We pay the full fees for every application, every renewal, and every related immigration/visa process. We are paying for a service that is not being delivered in a reasonable timeframe. That is not acceptable.’
The Pesrins have started investing in an additional location along The Quay for their bakery business 2 Frenchies, however the original shop in Rue du Pre is only open four days a week as they are short-staffed.
They said they could not proceed with the business expansion while key training and operational roles remain stuck in the system.
‘Every month of delay is a month of lost economic activity and return on investment, lost tax revenue, and lost opportunity for the island,’ they said.
‘If any private business operated with this level of inefficiency and lack of accountability, it would collapse. Yet the States continues to run population management in a way that would bankrupt any commercial operation,’ said Mr and Mrs Pesrin.
‘This is not a request for sympathy. It is a demand for political leadership. The current situation is slowing Guernsey’s economy at a time when the island needs growth, not self-inflicted bottlenecks.’
The Pesrins asked Home Affairs a series of questions about the current waiting times, but several days later said they were yet to receive a response.
Home Affairs president Marc Leadbeater said that the committee had a lot of sympathy for businesses experiencing issues with the population management regime.
But he said he was reassured that the population management office was working hard to reduce the current backlog of applications.
‘While we are keen to ensure the population management regime and employment permits work for employers on Guernsey, to give businesses access to the staff they need, it is important to stress that it must balance with the demands of protecting our borders and our place in the Common Travel Area.
‘This is not an easy line to walk, with many competing demands, and as such, there will always be some areas which do not work in the way some parts of the community wishes.
‘I would like to reassure Delphine that the concerns in her letter have been heard by the committee and will be considered as we look at this going forward.’
Deputy Leadbeater said the committee was starting to look at some elements of the regime itself, and industry feedback would have a role to play in that.