With some permanent residency applications taking as long as 16 months for a decision, Deputy Premier Chris Saunders has doubled down on the growing delays, saying that close scrutiny of those seeking to live here long term will continue.
Saunders, speaking on the Cayman Compass lunchtime talkshow ‘The Resh Hour’ on Wednesday, dismissed claims the delays were related to the ongoing review of the PR points system.
Instead, he said the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board “is finally really scrutinising” those seeking permanent residency, which he argued was long overdue.
No ‘fast track’ to status
Saunders, who has responsibility for immigration and border control, stood behind the ongoing work of the board.
“I am not one… who believes in giving away our birth right willy-nilly. I can tell you that upfront right now. People need security of tenure, but security of tenure does not give you a right to our birthright and we need to find a balance,” Saunders said.
HSM attorney Nick Joseph, in a comment to the Compass on the growing PR backlog before the deputy premier’s interview, said processing times were “holding steady at 16 months” – with applications filed in September 2021 being determined at the close of January this year.
“Having already waited 16 months, some persons are being granted PR as little as one day following their payment for the renewal of a month [permission to continue working application]. These fees (which are frequently more than $10,000 for permission to work for as little as a single day) are thus far not being refunded – and we are hopeful that the authorities will deal with this longstanding issue appropriately,” he said in his emailed comment.
While Saunders acknowledged the situation, he reminded that there’s no “fast track” to a pathway to citizenship.
“Cayman must be the only place on this planet where people believe that, within a month or two, a decision should be made to put you on a pathway to citizenship. When you live in other countries, the United States… United Kingdom and elsewhere, that process is literally years between when you start to becoming a citizen. We, for some reason, expect to fast track it,” he said.
With concerns over the lengthy processing times mounting, Saunders insisted the checks are necessary.
“We need to basically take due care,” he said, adding that “we are living in a world with security concerns… where we are seeing hate crimes” and there are people who are discriminating against “our people”.
Saunders said that the board has been processing around 100 or so permanent residency applications per month, although this can vary.
“I am sure the Caymanian people will sleep better knowing that if we were going to make people long-term residents of the country that they are properly vetted,” Saunders said.
He said people should consider that legitimately working and living in Cayman long-term does not necessarily mean they will accrue certain status entitlements.
PR review deadline extended
Speaking to the ongoing review of the PR point system, Saunders said the deadline for the committee’s report has been extended to 30 June.
He said the system is not one for the politicians to interfere with.
“I am trusting them [the committee] to say when they do come up with something… that’s going to be quite thought-out. Naturally it is still something that my colleagues will have to agree to. But at this point, let the process run independently,” he said, adding that it will not be rushed.
But while that review process is ongoing, Joseph argued, in his comments to the Compass, that “the absence of clear published policies in relation to the PR Points System (first raised formally several years ago) continues to haunt the Department and Applicants alike. Amongst the results is the prospect that some determinations be (or become) arbitrary, or even absurd”.
He said the law firm has been seeing some “surprising scores”.
“Whilst the effect of these is inconsequential for most applicants (them being granted PR in any event), some of the scoring may be indicative of problems. We are seeking to work through these with the Department – as it may simply be part of a regrettable but necessary learning curve, as the relevant officials become more and more familiar with the system,” Joseph said.
He added that many solutions to these issues are straightforward.
“We look forward to learning of the Government’s proposals in relation to this and numerous other matters,” he added.
90% of work permits approved
Saunders also argued that delays to work-permit processing were also necessary to ensure thorough vetting of applicants.
“We need to make sure as a small island that we do proper due diligence,” Saunders said, as he pointed to deportation of Jamaican murder accused Ashley Williams who came on island on a temporary work permit last year.
He said the Work Permit Board has been making from 600 to 700 decisions a month, while the Business Staffing Plan Board has been making from 400 to 500 decisions monthly.
The deputy premier added that 90% of permits are still being approved.
Saunders said work is continuing on the automation of the work-permit application process and the accreditation process for employers, which will help speed up decisions.
He also indicated that in some cases, when there is a delay in the processing of permits, it may well be that extra scrutiny is needed, as the employer may have been sanctioned for breaches.
Watch the full interview here:
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The whole system is bad Most of these people do not want permanent residency All they want is to continue to work here for more than the 9 years allowed. There should be a way for that to happen. After Ivan Cayman decided that it did not want all the workers who came and fixed the island to stay so they had a 7 year roll over which extended to 9. A nanny who is taking care of kids does not want to vote she only wants to continue to work. Same for all the dive masters on all the dive boat. They work hard Spend money supporting the economy and do not want to return to cold homes, They only want to stay. WHY MAKE THEM LEAVE AFTER 9 YEARS?????
Of course we should not hand out citizenship quickly.
As the honorable gentleman is aware one must live here for 8 years before one can apply for Permanent Residence.
And years more before one can apply for Status.