‘Controversial’ changes to PR system will be in ‘best interests of Caymanians’

Nearly one year after the review of Cayman’s permanent residency points system commenced, the final report with recommended changes is expected to be delivered to Cabinet within a month, attorney Steve McField confirmed.

McField, who is chairing the review committee that was established in August 2022, told the Cayman Compass Tuesday that changes are on the way for the existing nine-point PR system and some of the recommendations may be “controversial”.

“Some people may not welcome the changes that are going to be made, but I think that the changes… are going to be in the best interest of the Caymanian people and that’s what I’m interested [the] most in,” he said.

McField said he could not reveal what changes the committee was considering, but noted the findings should be made public at the end of the process.

Speaking to the time taken to conduct the review, he said the committee had faced some setbacks along the way, including a problem “grasping the terms of reference” that were outlined to the committee, but once that was sorted they began the assessment.

The final report is nearing completion, McField said, though he added the committee recently encountered another setback.

They had a meeting with caucus several weeks ago because government “wanted to see what progress we had made … and they sent us back to the drawing board, so to speak. I wouldn’t say they were unhappy with what we did, with what progress we have made, but they want us to make some more changes to what we have done,” he said.

The committee, he said, revisited their report after that meeting and updated the draft.

McField said he had been away and had not seen the draft, but he will be meeting with the committee this week.

“I will see whether we can recommend that as the final draft of the review. If that is going to be okay with the committee, then we’ll start writing a report and then turn it in to the Cabinet,” he said.

The committee, which was established under former Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, was tasked with looking at the points system under which an eligible applicant, who has been resident for at least eight years, has to obtain a minimum of 110 points 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.

McField, who is also the chairman of the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board, said current Minister Dwayne Seymour has maintained the parameters previously set for the committee.

He hopes that Cabinet will accept the committee’s recommendations. “We can’t force the recommendations, we can only suggest that this is what we see and this is what the country is going to need,” he said.

McField thinks a new overall draft of the Immigration Transition Act 2021 is needed and “not just patch here, patch there… amendments here, amendments there. We need to have a new thinking.”

In his capacity as the board chairman, he also addressed the lengthy time to process existing PR applications, saying those require greater scrutiny.

“Applications have continued to be processed; it’s just that we are being more careful now. We’re scrutinising the applications carefully because of what we’ve seen, especially where it comes to marriage and and some work-permit applications, but we’re doing our best,” he said.

McField added that when the board took over it faced a backlog and “we are trying to diminish that as much as possible”.

He said the board meets every Thursday, at which time they go through at least 56 files.

Delays occur, he said, when something looks “untoward” in an application and further action is required which may include interviews.

“We are not just ticking a box,” he said, adding that Cayman is small with limited land and resources.

“We’ve been a peaceful people and some people have gone through the cracks,” he said, noting that some applicants have been approved who are “not in the best interest of the Caymanian people. So we are making sure that when we give you permanent residence and that you ultimately get … Caymanian status that you are gonna be right for us and we are gonna be right for you,” he said.

He added there is a “saturation point” and Cayman can only can take in so many people.