New members have been appointed to the Cayman Islands Immigration Appeals Tribunal, the quasi-government board that handles all matters related to disputed work permits, permanent residence applications and grants of Caymanian status.
Tribunal Chairman Buck Grizzel, an attorney with Stuarts Walker Hersant, was confirmed Sept. 9 as the replacement for long-serving chair Sophia Harris.
According to information on the www.stuartslaw.com website, Mr. Grizzel, the head of the law firm’s local business operations, has more than 12 years’ “specialist experience” advising on Cayman Islands law.
He is specifically focused on company formation, including exempted and special economic zone company registrations. Practice areas also include matters relating to the registered land law, and the purchasing, leasing and development of real estate. Mr. Grizzel has also handled issues related to labor, pensions and immigration law during his time at the firm.
Kendra Hurlston was appointed as a new deputy chair of the tribunal. She is joined by current deputy chairmen Shaun McCann and Morris Garcia.
Other tribunal members named on Sept. 9 include: Grace Donalds, Kesrene Estrella, Sharon Smith, Jermaine Sharpe, Courtney Myles, Colford Scott and Patricia Miller.
They join current members Josephine Habib, Evannel Hunter, Paula Jackson, Sacha Tibbetts, Nanalee Cover, Susan Arch-Parsons and Riselda Ebanks.
Tribunal members may find themselves busy, following the Cayman Islands government’s decision last year to significantly alter the process by which individuals apply for and can potentially gain permanent residence.
The previous process required applicants to earn at least 100 points based on a system in which they were judged on such things as the occupation they held, relevant skills and knowledge, their earnings, contributions to the community, Caymanian connections and a history and culture test, among other things.
The new permanent residency system requires applicants to gain at least 110 points and makes earning those points much more difficult, in some cases lowering the total points an applicant can be awarded in each category.
Someone who fails to obtain permanent residence on an application made under the 100-point system would likely find any appeal of the decision heard under the new 110-point system, according to a February ruling made in Cayman Islands Summary Court.
The criteria for permanent residence points can now also be changed once a year by Cabinet members, as long as they obtain a ratifying vote from the Legislative Assembly. The appeals process for applicants under the new system was also changed under the new legislation. The appeals are now conducted in written format over two stages and appellants no longer need to remain in the Cayman Islands while appeals are pending.
Previously, large appeals backlogs were caused, partly by individuals who filed frivolous cases, allowing them to remain in the islands in some instances several years longer while their cases were decided.
In 2011, the Immigration Appeals Tribunal had a backlog of 1,600 cases, some dating to 2004.
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