Hotel operators said the delays were taking a human toll on employees and making it increasingly difficult for businesses to recruit and retain staff.
‘It’s real people who are suffering. These are not just names on a keyboard,’ said Cobo Bay Hotel owner Jamie Nussbaumer.
‘People are happy here. They don’t want to leave their job. They don’t want to leave the island. They’re having to make choices about major life events. It’s sad.’
Speaking alongside Guernsey Hospitality Association president Alan Sillett and Le Friquet Hotel managing director Jimmy Wright, Mr Nussbaumer said the population management regime remained one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
He said one employee had been waiting more than 13 months for a permit and had been unable to travel to visit his seriously ill father without concerns about returning to Guernsey.
‘We literally showed them [population management] the video of his dad in hospital and said “please”,’ he said.
Mr Wright described another case involving an employee who had cancelled her wedding because of uncertainty surrounding her permit.
‘She’s been waiting 13 months for her permit,’ he said. ‘If she leaves, she can’t come back.’
Home Affairs president Marc Leadbeater said his committee was unable to provide the average time it took to process a permit.
He acknowledged that workers awaiting immigration decisions may need formal approval before leaving the Common Travel Area to avoid having to apply for a new visa to return.
He advised those needing to travel urgently, such as for a serious family illness, to contact immigration officials as early as possible. In exceptional circumstances, visa extension fees could be refunded to help cover the cost of a new application.
The hoteliers said the delays were creating major operational difficulties, particularly when experienced staff left their jobs.
Mr Nussbaumer said replacing an employee who had given one month’s notice could take more than six months.
‘I’m playing this game where I’ve got about 10 permits that I’m waiting to come in, and I either have to say “I am really sorry, but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer,” or I am understaffed or overstaffed. I am playing with people’s lives, and I don’t like having to do that. But what choice do I have?’
He said the system also lacked flexibility for businesses undergoing major investment.
Cobo Bay Hotel is preparing for another phase of redevelopment, but Mr Nussbaumer said he had faced questions about whether his staff’s permits should remain in place while the hotel closed for the work.
‘They said, “we might have to start rescinding permits”. How does that help anyone? How are we meant to invest in our business and in tourism?’ he said.
‘Are we just meant to remain open to paying customers while we’re doing major refurbishments?
‘It’s simply not possible.’
The operators also questioned the effectiveness of a system which could force businesses to lose experienced employees only to find themselves almost immediately having to recruit new replacement workers from overseas.
‘All we end up doing is having to send off good, well-trained staff, just to employ new foreign nationals,’ said Mr Wright.
‘It’s just crazy. This is the core of the problem.’
They said there was a mistaken belief that most people hired from overseas inevitably wanted to live in Guernsey for the rest of their lives.
‘It simply isn’t true,’ said Mr Nussbaumer.
‘They wish to come here, earn money to support their families back home and then return. If you looked at the last 40 years of permits for hospitality, I’d bet my house that the number of those people still living on the island is under 1%. Also, a lot of these employees live in on-site staff accommodation. They’re not taking up local licence houses, which is another misconception.’
Mr Sillett said the GHA had been gathering evidence from its members and was continuing discussions with the Home Affairs Committee in the hope of securing improvements.
Since the hoteliers met with the Guernsey Press, those discussions have led to a welcome breakthrough, with the committee extending short-term employment permits – STEPs – to a maximum of three years and nine months. The extension must be for the same role and the same employer.
Mr Sillett praised the committee and senior civil servants for listening to the industry’s concerns.
‘Some progress, albeit temporary, has been made,’ he said. ‘However, staff recruitment and retention is still the number one challenge for our industry.’
He said the GHA hopes the constructive engagement would lead to further improvements.
‘I know of one staff member who’s been waiting four years to get his permit,’ he said.
‘Four years he hasn’t been able to see his family. It’s bad enough trying to get staff here in the first place, but the ones who are here can’t go home.’
The hoteliers stressed that they want to retain experienced staff and provide opportunities for local workers, but recruitment remains a significant challenge.
‘I would love if there were people on island who wanted to work here,’ said Mr Wright.
‘I hired two locals this summer. One lasted two days, one lasted two weeks.’