There are approximately 2000 foreign workers employed in the Cook Islands, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana.

Elikana made this comment in response to a question in Parliament last week from Opposition Member of Parliament Teariki Heather, the leader of the Cook Islands United Party.

Heather asked the Minister if he could provide the exact number of expat workers residing in the Cook Islands.

According to Elikana, approximately 2000 foreign workers are currently employed in the country, mainly from the Philippines, Fiji and Indonesia.

He said most work in hospitality, while others are caregivers, domestic workers, or in agriculture.

Elikana said that an exact number is being determined, and further details could be provided if needed.

He also said that the majority were from the Philippines, followed by Indonesia, then Fiji.

Cook Islands News contacted Cook Islands Immigration for further data, including the exact number of foreign workers and their origins.

Principal immigration officer Chere Arthur replied, “Cook Islands Immigration is a small division and I do not have a dedicated data officer, which means I will have to reallocate at least two officers to extract this data which does take time.”

According to the Cook Islands Fijian Association, there are approximately 1700 Fijians, including children and family members, residing in Rarotonga.

The Filipino community says it has more or less 700 members.

Processing time

The processing time for work permits was also raised in Parliament by the Leader of the Opposition, Tina Browne.

It takes 20 days to process a work permit, and Elikana said the Cook Islands Immigration was trying to reduce this to three to five days.

According to Browne, there is a shortage of local workers, with no applicants for jobs, especially for home-based roles.

“And as a result, overseas recruitment is necessary but slow, taking about three months due to Police clearances, medical checks, and strict immigration deadlines.”

Browne asked Minister Elikana the timelines could be reviewed to improve efficiency.

Elikana said that while the official processing time for immigration applications is 20 days, they are working to reduce it to three to five days.

However, he said that delays occur because applications often require input from multiple government departments, such as health checks by Te Marae Ora, business approvals by BTIB (Business Trade and Investment Board), and employment contracts reviewed by Internal Affairs (INTAFF).

Elikana said that these inter-agency dependencies slow down the process, and he discussed the issue with the Director of Immigration, suggesting better coordination among departments.