A team of local experts headed by attorney Steve McField has been commissioned to begin a review of Cayman’s permanent residency points system, Deputy Premier Chris Saunders has announced.
Saunders, speaking on Radio Cayman’s For the Record talk show with Orrett Connor on Monday, said a review of the existing system is necessary and Cabinet has approved the committee members tasked with recommending changes.
The deputy premier said, in its present state, the points system “is very skewed towards a certain demographic… almost social engineered”.
He added that as head of the review committee, McField, who is also the chairman of the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board, will gauge what the community wants to see when it comes to who becomes Caymanian.
He pointed to McField’s “historical knowledge”, which, he said, adds to his ability to explain to the community what his team will be looking at when it comes to the review.
He added that, ultimately, it is the community, and not politicians, who “should be deciding who it is that becomes a Caymanian”.
Saunders explained that, for years, Cayman had a ‘rollover’ system, in which work-permit holders had to leave the islands after seven years, unless they were designated as ‘key employees’, which allowed them to remain here for nine years – long enough to apply for permanent residency.
“It means the only way you could have been a key employee is [for] your employer to designate you key employee. So in essence, it was employers who were deciding who was staying here long enough to be key employees to apply for PR. It can’t be like that,” he said.
The ‘key employee’ system, which was enacted in 2004, ended in 2013, when the immigration law was revised, changing the work-permit term limit to nine years and introducing a points system for those applying for permanent residency.
Saunders, who is also Minister for Labour, said, while he did not want to preempt the committee’s work, he expects its members to set out criteria for the points system that the community will support, “in the sense of where our people have said this is what we want Caymanians to look like, this is what we want Caymanians to be”.
He added, “I’ve said it for years, our success as a country has never been from immigration, it has been from integration. People coming here, becoming part of the social fabric and contributing – that is what it has been about.”
That integration is what has been lost along the way, Saunders said.
He said Culture Minister Bernie Bush has been given $2 million as part of his ministry’s annual budget for more social programmes to “bring our people together” as part of efforts to build a balanced society.
Under the current permanent residency system, an eligible applicant, someone who has been resident here for at least eight years, has to obtain a minimum of 110 points in order to be granted the right to remain permanently in the Cayman Islands.
Those points are awarded based on a number of categories, including occupation, nationality, local investment, education and community service.
Saunders said government is aware of the issues that have been compounded by the present PR system, such as the resulting growing demand for real estate, as an investment in local property counts towards the awarded points.
He said the committee will take an in-depth look at these issues.
Related Videos
This is great that they looking into this matter. There’s a lot to look in who was granted and who wasn’t granted why this happen some people that have kids on island that are caymanian are being refuse when others without any conection on islands are being accepted. Look into the time, what conection they have on islands they may not have a house but they have loans, family and others but can’t get a home or better job because PR is not considered for good jobs. While if that person have others assets and force to leave after time where these debts stay. Is government will assume them. I know they islands is growing
in Population but at the same time you all need to look on the facts of growth and what is best for the island. I am happy and lucky when I came here 12+ years I have a child who is caymanian and I’m still a PR and still hopping to be more ine day. I am here to make sure my child know his next half of family and roots and that way give her a better apportunity in life. Hope the committee give better apportunity to who deserves the right of living and investing 🙏 on islands. I dream one to have a business a home but when the right time comes and I’m given the apportunity to develop my self financially and can do investment. It’s hard for a PR to get a house loan or start a business because financially salary is not good we have ideas but can’t afford it because apportunity isn’t given.
Any news about whether PR applications are currently being heard or have they been paused until this review and a new system is put in place?
The biggest thing driving people apart is the prevention of children of parents on work permits from attending government schools. Children who don’t grow up mixing together end up with a “them and us” attitude.
This is very timely, and the Government should be commended for looking at this important matter at last. The Points System can be a catalyst for both positive and negative impacts in our Islands. I believe that the heavy reliance or weight given to the possession of Land/Property by the PR applicants has however caused a detrimental impact on the ability of young Caymanians to afford to purchase any Real Estate on their own. The economic law of Supply and Demand has caused the price for Land and even small apartments/townhouses to skyrocket in price. I suggest that Less points be awarded for Real Estate, and More points be awarded for other factors such as: Integration within Caymanian society; interpersonal skills and attitudes in the workplace; track record of training or mentoring Caymanians on the job etc. I also believe that a new “system” to allow security of tenure for expat workers, other than PR and Caymanian Status, should be explored NOW, before Caymanians are totally overwhelmed and out-numbered.