Topic: Immigration
Seven arrested in immigration sweeps
The Department of Immigration’s Enforcement Division arrested seven people suspected of being in breach of immigration law as part of an operation that included 30 spot checks in the past two weeks
Waiting
Today's editorial cartoon
Status
Today's editorial cartoon.
Staff Headquarters
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More immigration staffers charged in fraud case
Seven more people, including three immigration officials, were charged Tuesday and Wednesday in connection with an ongoing fraud investigation at the Immigration Department.
Speedy passports
Today's editorial cartoon.
EDITORIAL – Dilly-dallying and bureaucratic delays at Immigration
How long does it take to stamp a passport? Five seconds? Maybe 10 seconds, if you fumble the pages?
How about six months?
EDITORIAL – On the Stephens ‘non-deportation’: We got it right
No one likes to be wrong – not the Compass, not Cabinet, not a Chief Officer. But people with courage, at minimum, choose to own their own words – and their own mistakes.
Cayman closes in on 26,000 work permits
There were 25,870 work permits and government contracts for non-Caymanian workers active in the Cayman Islands as of Tuesday, according to records from the Immigration Department.
‘Ritch report’ makes ministry poor
An immigration consultancy report, penned at a cost of $312,000 and kept from public view, put the government Ministry of Home Affairs over budget during the year it was commissioned, according to an evaluation done by Cayman’s auditor general.
EDITORIAL – ‘No one is so deaf as he who will not listen’
Cayman must not close its mind to outside ideas or outsiders who are able and willing to contribute to the well-being of these islands. They are a resource far too valuable to turn away.
EDITORIAL: The need for clarity – and candor – on immigration issues
In his annual speech to the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce last week, Premier Alden McLaughlin promised “radical” changes to local immigration and labor policies.
Premier: More than 800 residency bids decided, with 400 to go
With about two-thirds of Cayman’s backlogged permanent residency applications decided, government records show about 65 percent of those bids have been approved since last June.
Premier foreshadows more immigration changes
Although his annual speech to the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Thursday was short on specifics, Premier Alden McLaughlin said further “radical” changes to local immigration and labor policies would be forthcoming during his national unity government’s term in office.
Rahn: Immigration and ‘rathole’ countries
Without some reasonable controls on the nation’s borders, the US will always be overrun with more people than can be easily absorbed.
Immigration halfway through permanent residence backlog
Cayman Islands immigration authorities have dealt with just more than half of all outstanding applications for permanent residence, according to figures released Tuesday by the Immigration Department.
38 immigration staff process $100 million in annual fees
Less than one-quarter of the civil servants working in the Cayman Islands Immigration Department collect the vast majority – budgeted at more than $200 million over the next two years – of revenues paid for various work permit, residency and other fees charged for immigration services.
Status application delayed for 5 years over residency fees
A substance abuse counselor, who was required to pay a doctor’s work permit fees to maintain his permanent residence in the Cayman Islands, has sued a government-appointed immigration board over its refusal to hear his Caymanian status application since 2012.
Thousands receive ‘right to be Caymanian’ since 2009
More than 3,700 people have received grants of Caymanian status via either the naturalization (citizenship) process or through marriage to a Caymanian since January 2009, according to records presented to the Legislative Assembly by Premier Alden McLaughlin last week.
Six more gain permanent residence after waiting 4+ years
A woman who waited so long for a decision on her permanent residence application that her son became Caymanian during the delay period is one of six people recently granted residency. She applied more than four years ago.
Governor to expedite citizenship bids
Recent permanent residence grantees who have waited more than 15 months to receive that immigration status may now apply immediately for naturalization as a British Overseas Territories citizen.
Lawmakers in quandary over proving Caymanian status
It seems individuals sometimes referred to as “ghost Caymanians,” as well as multigenerational Caymanians born in the islands, have a shared immigration problem that is now haunting members of the Legislative Assembly.
EDITORIAL – Rejecting ‘prejudice’: The day our premier spoke for all of Cayman
Are some individuals in Cayman “better off” than others? Of course. Is almost everyone in Cayman – to a man, woman and child – “better off” now than they would have been in Cayman’s economy of 60 years ago?
Also of course.
Premier: Cayman must reject ‘insular thinking’ and ‘prejudice’
The Cayman Islands must spurn isolationism and “over-protectionist” political policies if the British Overseas Territory is to continue to thrive as it has done for the past 40 years, Premier Alden McLaughlin said Monday night.
Third lawmaker backs limit on Caymanian status grants
Deputy Opposition Leader Alva Suckoo said Thursday that government should “strongly consider” limiting grants of Caymanian status only to individuals who were Caymanian by descent or who had received that status through marriage.
EDITORIAL – Immigration: Government’s third largest revenue source
The bottom line is, government has no business treating the “immigration business” as a cash cow for the public coffers.
EDITORIAL – A fresh start possible for Immigration
The new immigration chief must have the expertise, talent and drive to drag the immigration department out of its current difficulties and shape it into the efficient and effective government service that Cayman expects and deserves.
277 residency applications decided over last two months
Within the last two months, Cayman Islands government officials have made decisions on 277 applications for permanent residence.
EDITORIAL – Immigration nightmare: Time for Cayman to ‘give up the ghost’
Whether it’s achieved through Cabinet action, immigration legislation or some combination of the two, the only rational solution is for these people to be regularized and recognized as the Caymanians they are.
Government gets through 15 months of permanent residence backlog
Thanks largely to marathon hearings that started on July 31, the Cayman Islands Immigration Department has finished considering the vast majority of backlogged permanent residence applications filed between October 2013 and December 2014.
EDITORIAL – ‘The long goodbye’: Waide DaCosta’s ‘exit interview’
When Mr. DaCosta published his scathing critiques last week, he never addressed why during his tenure (which spanned four different government administrations), he never spoke up — or stepped down.
Will Congress be stirred from its slumber?
What Obama did was popular and unconstitutional. The latter attribute probably does not interest Obama’s successor, but the former attribute evidently does.
Former PR board chair ‘not a proponent’ of residency system
The former head of the Cayman Islands government board tasked with approving Caymanian status and permanent residence applications said in a statement last week that he was “not a proponent” of the 2013 system that granted residence to non-Caymanian applicants.
Immigration shake-up: PR Chairman Waide DaCosta replaced
The Cayman Islands government appointed new leadership to the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board amid a slew of changes to immigration-related governing bodies Wednesday.
Legal action leads to more permanent residency grants
Five more permanent residence applicants who challenged years-long delays in the processing of their cases have been granted the right to remain in Cayman for the rest of their life, according to their attorneys.
Senior immigration officer’s trial resumes for 2013 traffic charges
Trial resumed on Tuesday for senior immigration officer Garfield Wong, who has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from a traffic accident in December 2013.
Residency delays may clear up by mid-2018
A backlog of more than 1,100 permanent residence applications – some of which have been in limbo for three or four years – could be cleared by mid-2018 if immigration officials continue the pace they set in August for hearing those applications.
Morici: Immigration reform will make US more prosperous
America’s immigration policy sorely needs modernization. By endorsing reforms offered by Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue, President Trump offers Congress an opportunity to better consider how new arrivals can contribute to national prosperity.
Good news
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EDITORIAL – Work permit backlog: ‘Help Wanted’ (needed) at Immigration
Lines are lengthening, applications are piling up, and tales of dysfunction are spilling out. Just another day at the Cayman Islands Department of Immigration.
Immigration swamped with over 18,000 work permit applications
A much larger number of work permit applications than a year ago are being handled by a reduced Immigration Department staff, leading to longer-than-usual delays in acquiring permission to work for non-Caymanians.
Big increase in residency approvals
Nearly 80 percent of the permanent residence applications heard last week were approved by government officials. According to the Cayman Islands Immigration Department, 27 residency applications were granted between Aug. 7 and Aug. 10; five applications were denied.
CaymanMan: New Job
Today's editorial cartoon
Premier: New hires to speed permanent residence process
Six new employees are being brought in to speed up the processing of more than 1,000 permanent residence applications, Immigration Minister and Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said Friday.
More than 1,100 applicants await residency hearings
Before the Cayman Islands government began hearing backlogged permanent residence applications last month, more than 1,100 people had applied for that status, according to figures obtained via open records.
EDITORIAL: PR backlog: The line is getting longer!
This isn’t working, and unless major changes are made, it can never work.
Survey asks public how to fix immigration
The Cayman Islands government is asking everyone in the islands to provide feedback on how to improve customer service and operations at the local Immigration Department.
Permanent residence applications: 8 approved, 10 denied
Eight permanent residence applications have been approved since May and 10 have been denied, according to figures released Friday by the Cayman Islands government.
Morici: Five forces that will reshape civilization
For those with lazy vacation eyes, let me offer my short form – five forces that will reshape our civilization by 2030.
Immigration faces five legal challenges in past month
Two new judicial review applications seeking damages over delays in the Cayman Islands government’s processing of permanent residence applications are among at least five legal challenges against the Immigration Department and/or immigration-related boards in the past month.
Honduran who overstayed work permit to be deported
Leonidas Antolin Ruiz was sentenced to two months in prison and ordered to be deported to his homeland of Honduras Monday after pleading guilty to overstaying and working without a permit.
A thoughtless few are causing pain for us all
Over the last few years the sleeping Island of Grand Cayman has being waking up from a nightmare, sadly it has awoken to the realization that the nightmare is in fact real.
Residency cases from 2013 ready for hearings
Cayman Islands residents who applied to live in the British territory permanently nearly four years ago were advised this week that their applications would soon be reviewed.
Residence for the rich gets more costly
Obtaining the right to remain in the Cayman Islands as a "person of independent means" has just become more expensive.
‘Invisible hand’ preventing PR progress, law firm alleges
An "invisible hand" appears to be blocking attempts to address years-long delays involving hundreds of applicants for permanent residence in the Cayman Islands, as the processing of the applications has again "stagnated," according to attorneys from a local law firm.
Premier: We must ‘sort out’ immigration
Premier Alden McLaughlin said Tuesday that the Cayman Islands must "sort out" the British territory’s immigration problems during his second term as the government’s leader.
EDITORIAL – Reviewing the campaign and the candidates
The choices that voters make on Wednesday will have substantial consequences for the country and its inhabitants for the next four years and beyond. The campaign may be thought of as a sort of game. The election, on the other hand, is unmistakably real.
Email phishing scam targets immigration clients
The Cayman Islands government is warning the public about a phishing scam that involves an email purportedly sent by the Department of Immigration. Several immigration clients reported receiving messages from a fake email address, [email protected], which appeared to contain visa and election updates. The link led unsuspecting users to malware.
EDITORIAL – Immigration: Time to ‘reframe’ the issue
Beginning today and for the remainder of this week, we will devote the front page of the Compass to a single issue of paramount importance to the well-being of these islands.
Third court challenge filed over permanent residency delay
A Cayman Islands insolvency accountant is the third person to file a legal challenge over government’s three-and-a-half year delay in considering his application for permanent residence.
Information chief ‘surprised’ at governor’s decision
Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers said he was not consulted about Governor Helen Kilpatrick’s decision to quash the release of a $312,000 taxpayer-funded consultant’s report.
Asylum seeker detentions pose legal questions
An influx of asylum applications is putting pressure on the Cayman Islands Department of Immigration to address gaps in staff training and shorten migrant detention times.
Justice’s ruling on ‘Ritch Report’ appealed
The Cayman Islands Information Commissioner’s Office will appeal a January ruling by the chief justice which essentially ordered that a lengthy, $312,000 consultant’s report evaluating permanent residence issues be withheld from public view.
Immigration to schedule dates for PR applications
Although no specific dates were provided as of press time Monday, the Cayman Islands Immigration Department indicated it is setting a staggered schedule to begin hearing more than 900 applications for permanent residence.
Permanent residence delays affect divorce proceedings
Delays in processing permanent residence applications are affecting other Cayman Islands court matters, in addition to the two legal challenges filed last year, the Cayman Compass has learned.
New immigration regulations seek to clarify residence applications
All pending applicants for permanent residence in Cayman – of which there are now more than 900 – will receive the maximum 15 points awarded for their current job, regardless of what job they hold.
Permanent residence challenge put off until summer
An accountant who filed a court challenge over how long it took the government to hear his application for permanent residence is likely to have his case heard sometime in June or July. Bradley Carpenter’s judicial review hearing is now listed for “the first open date after May 26.”
Permanent residence: Lives in limbo
A delay of more than three years in processing permanent residence applications has left more than 900 people, plus an unknown number of their dependents, in limbo.
CEO conference brings immigration announcements
Premier Alden McLaughlin announced a series of immigration initiatives Thursday with implications for Chinese, Jamaican and Caymanian travelers. On the heels of China’s announcement granting Caymanian ships “most favored nation” status, Cayman will also enable the passage of Chinese travelers.
NEW: Two more arrests in immigration bribery case
Two more people were arrested this week in connection with an ongoing bribery scandal at the Cayman Islands Immigration Department.
EDITORIAL – The government vs. the people: Time for a ‘stand’
While the plight of one entrepreneur may seem small in the grander scheme of things, we assure you there is not a single businessperson in the Cayman Islands who does not identify with Mr. Bothwell – the pilot, the jerk stand owner – and how the bureaucracy clipped his wings.
EDITORIAL – Immigration arrests: Under punishment of ‘paid vacation’
The cloud of criminal suspicion and alleged malfeasance enshrouding the Immigration Department is a real and reputational threat to the Cayman Islands. Public statements and paid suspensions are an insufficient response.
