Topic: Immigration
Cuban migrants took illegal Cayman ‘vacation’
Two Cuban migrants pleaded guilty on Friday to landing without permission of immigration officials, telling the court they had turned themselves in after their money was spent.
Five Cubans repatriated
The Immigration department sent home five Cuban migrants Thursday, part of a wave of 135 people from Cuba who have landed on Cayman’s shores since the beginning of the year.
Gunmen hold up jewelry store in Camana Bay, escape with diamonds
Although nearly 650 applications for permanent residence in the Cayman Islands have been filed since October 2013, not a single one was accepted or denied during the past year, according to Immigration Department records.
No permanent residency approvals granted in 2015
Although nearly 650 applications for permanent residence in the Cayman Islands have been filed since October 2013, not a single one was accepted or denied during the past year, according to Immigration Department records.
Two Cuban migrants found 17 days after landing
Immigration authorities arrested two Cuban migrants Tuesday, 17 days after they landed at Beach Bay with about two dozen others.
Cuban boat abandoned and decaying on Beach Bay
El Arca landed at Beach Bay Jan. 31. More than 30 people squeezed aboard the estimated 24-foot wooden sailboat for the journey from Cuba to Honduras, where the refugees could travel north by land to the United States.
Disney ship picks up 12 Cubans at sea
The Disney Wonder cruise ship picked up 12 Cuban migrants while sailing from Miami to Grand Cayman Saturday night.
Cuban influx taking its toll
Nearly $1 million has been spent since July handling an ever-increasing number of Cuban migrants who land in the Cayman Islands.
Five Cubans plead guilty to escaping custody
Five Cubans who escaped from custody were sentenced to one day in prison when they appeared in Summary Court on Thursday.
Police search for 3 Cubans who landed Sunday
Three people from Cuba are on the run in Grand Cayman after landing at Beach Bay on Sunday. Police rescued another 15 migrants who ran into difficulties at sea on Monday.
Police informant fighting deportation
Marlon Dillon, the bank robber turned police informant, has launched a new legal battle to prevent him from being sent home to Jamaica.
Dillon is...
Will: Misjudging Rubio
George Will
WASHINGTON – What boxer Sonny Liston’s manager said of him (Sonny had his good points, the trouble was his bad points) is true...
Illegal lander worked for $5–$10 per day
A man who identified himself as a Cuban national pleaded guilty in Summary Court on Tuesday afternoon to illegal landing and working without a permit.
Police arrest two men at sea
Two men were arrested Sunday after being intercepted by marine police officers 10 miles off Barkers in West Bay.
Cuban migrants land on Cayman Brac
Several Cuban migrants are currently being held in the Immigration Reception Centre after arriving in Cayman Brac Monday afternoon.
New labor and pensions director named
A former pensions inspector, police officer and immigration officer has been named to head the Department of Labour and Pensions, succeeding former director Mario Ebanks.
A month-by-month roundup of Cayman’s 2015 news stories
Top stories of 2015 in the Cayman Islands
Premier Alden McLaughlin: Suckoo, Eden departures ‘unfortunate’
Premier Alden McLaughlin has described as “unfortunate” the defection of a second backbench legislator to the opposition benches.
At year’s end: Future paths, old obstacles
As 2015 draws to a close, the Compass Editorial Board looks at some of the obstacles facing Cayman, a number of which can be turned into opportunities for advancement and improvement.
Extradition approved for Romanian fugitive
The founder of the Romanian police’s secret service will be sent back to his home country to face jail time for corruption, a court in the Cayman Islands ruled this week.
Helping out during the holidays
Between the unwrapping of Christmas gifts and popping of New Year’s champagne bottles, let’s take a moment to recognize some of the good works being done this holiday season by Cayman Islands residents.
Editorial year in review: Immigration and employment
A look back at editorials on immigration unemployment in 2015.
Top stories of 2015: Lawmaker's motion against same-sex unions sparks debate
A speech on the topic of same-sex unions made in the Legislative Assembly in August, sparked a months-long and still ongoing debate that pitted members of the Cayman Islands government against those advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
Immigration officers on Christmas mission
More than three boxes and three bags full of toys and books, collected by the Immigration Department, were delivered to the Cayman Islands Hospital’s pediatric ward last week.
Chief immigration officer's fate unresolved
Cayman’s chief immigration officer will be spending her second holiday season on paid suspension, with an administrative matter pending against her remaining unresolved.
Men plead guilty after weight of ganja reduced
Three men accused of importing ganja pleaded guilty on Monday after their charge was amended with a lesser weight.
Woman found guilty in immigration scam
Marcia Angella Hamilton, 46, was found guilty on Tuesday of six counts of obtaining property by deception.
'Tax-onomy': Our potholes and pitfalls
Cayman's image as a "low-tax" or even "tax-free" jurisdiction has been most useful as a marketing tool. Unfortunately, it's not entirely true.
Fees deny 20-year resident Caymanian status
Nearly $50,000 in purported outstanding immigration-related fees have so far prevented a Cayman resident from obtaining the right to be Caymanian under the Cayman Islands Immigration Law, according to court records made public last week.
Professor: Same-sex unions legislation 'inevitable' in Cayman
When human rights professor Robert Wintemute visited the Cayman Islands in January to deliver a critique of the islands’ “out of date” laws on rights for homosexuals, he hoped to start a conversation.
Cayman gets a 'C' on open data in global rankings
In a global index on open government data the Cayman Islands scored 61, on par with Pakistan and Russia.
Lighted beacon shines the way home
Lighted beacons were strategically placed around the island to aid mariners in navigation.
PR application, appeal take eight years
A man whose application for permanent residence took more than eight years from the date it was filed to when it was rejected by an appeals body has sued the Cayman Islands government, seeking re-consideration of the case.
Immigration counters to close over holidays
The Department of Immigration has announced it will close its headquarters at 11:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve and reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 29.
Gay rights battle paralleled in Bermuda
A landmark ruling in the Supreme Court of Bermuda giving same-sex couples equal rights on immigration and employment issues has been cited as further evidence that the Cayman Islands needs to modernize its own laws.
MLA Alva Suckoo silent on future plans
Bodden Town MLA Alva Suckoo declined to discuss on Monday any future political plans he may have with regard to political party membership.
Connolly cannot get backing for ban on handouts
Independent legislator Winston Connolly has voiced his disappointment at the failure of his colleagues to support his calls for an end to the practice of politicians giving handouts to constituents.
Eden's Progressives departure sets off political uproar
The departure of long-serving Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden from the Progressives-led government last week sparked a behind-the-scenes political scramble and was viewed by some Cayman politics insiders as a potential foreshadowing of others leaving the Progressives party.
Mr. Eden said he would sit on the other side of the Legislative Assembly when the House next meets in the new year.
MLA Eden leaves PPM over civil union issue
A founding member of the People’s Progressive Movement political
party left the organization Thursday after a months-long dispute over
the legal acceptance of same-sex unions in the Cayman Islands.
Efforts to help migrants thwarted by police
A group of Cayman Islands residents who chartered a vessel to try to bring food and water to migrants on a ramshackle boat say marine police prevented them from assisting the men.
Manderson: 'Confusion' over job-hopping
Significant confusion has arisen in recent months as to whether work permit holders employed in one occupation can “switch jobs” to a completely different profession.
Premier condemns anti-business rhetoric
Premier Alden McLaughlin admonished legislators for anti-business, anti-expat rhetoric that he warned risked hurting the island’s economy.
The premier supported an amended version of a private members’ motion from backbencher Winston Connolly, who called for changes to business licensing laws to encourage training, development and ownership opportunities for Caymanians.
Straight talk on gay marriage
On some subjects, particularly ones whose fundamental nature is cultural or moral, there is no clear opportunity for compromise. In the Cayman Islands, same-sex marriage is one of these.
Defendant fails to return to Cayman for deception trial
A man who failed to show up for his trial on deception and forgery charges on Monday had his cash bond of $10,000 forfeited and a warrant issued for his arrest.
Premier, human rights body clash on same-sex unions
The government cannot consider any request to recognize same sex unions, Premier Alden McLaughlin said in a letter to the Human Rights Commission that was made public on Monday.
Cuban boat spotted off Brac
A ramshackle, homemade boat, likely carrying Cuban migrants, was spotted off Cayman Brac on Wednesday morning.
MLA Anthony Eden 'We do not need an atheist chairing our Cayman Islands...
Saying recent statements showed a “total apparent disrespect for the majority of residents in Cayman,” Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden suggested Wednesday that the current chairman of the Human Rights Commission be replaced.
Cuban detention center guards paid $1 million in overtime
The Cayman Islands government spent nearly $1 million on overtime during the last budget year for guards to monitor Cuban migrants temporarily housed in George Town.
The overtime spending was also noted as putting “even greater strains” on a prison staff already stretched thin.
Brac airport, CAL to add 21 jobs
The airport expansion on Cayman Brac, along with a new plane and more flights in and out of Charles Kirkconnell International Airport, means 21 new jobs for the island, Tourism Minister and Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell said.
The minister said the airport has hired more firefighters and immigration and customs officers.
France's test of courage and character
In the aftermath of the bestial attacks on innocents on Paris soil last Friday, France is at war. The very soul of the great Gallic nation – its courage and its character – will be severely tested.
6-month permit for tourists, not workers
Cayman's six-month visitor permit is largely for the benefit of 'snowbird' visitors, not departing workers.
Immigration revenues at $89.5 million
The Cayman Islands Immigration Department took in $89.5 million in revenues during the last government budget year, nearly tripling fees collected by the agency from a decade ago.
Police raise pay, hold 30 vacancies
Uniformed police officers will get an annual raise of $3,000 to $5,000 under the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s adjusted budget, Police Commissioner David Baines told his officers at their all-staff meeting Tuesday.
Government and the EY Report: Why even bother?
The verdict is in: "Project Future" has no future.
Rankine was inspired by Pele
Chastine Rankine is a familiar face on the Cayman football scene, best known as an official now, although she was one of the first women to play in regulated games in the Eighties.
Three remanded for 813 pounds of ganja
Three men appeared in Summary Court on Monday charged with illegal landing and importation of approximately 813 pounds of ganja.
The F.J. Harquail Cultural Centre: 30 years of making culture count
The F. J. Harquail Cultural Centre celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, so we take a look back at its beginnings and how it has grown into a vitally important promoter of the arts and Caymanian culture.
The uncomfortable truth about unemployment
The relationship between “work permits” and “work” continues to be erroneously overstated in the Cayman Islands.
Chamber of Commerce: Government must not 'blame business'
The Cayman Islands government must stop “blaming business owners” for the social problems that successive governments have “failed to prevent,” a Tuesday statement from the Chamber of Commerce’s executive council declares.
Unwanted in paradise: No Hollywood ending for TV couple’s dream move
A British couple who gambled on a move to the Cayman Islands after appearing on the BBC television show “Wanted in Paradise,” say their dream turned into a nightmare after they were confronted with the reality of Cayman’s immigration system.
Fingerprinting and 'fine print': $663k wasted
Who would spend $663,000 on a product — and then never use it? Here’s a clue: The matter in question has government’s fingerprints all over it.
$663K wasted on abandoned immigration fingerprint system
Government spent $663,000 on software after awarding a contract for a biometric fingerprinting system in 2010, but the software was never used, according to an audit released this week.
More human rights claims filed against immigration boards
Two Grand Court lawsuits filed this month against the Immigration Appeals Tribunal allege that decisions of the tribunal were contrary to human rights protections in the Cayman Islands Constitution Order (2009).
Auditor general report: Government revenue collection ‘open to abuse’
Poor record keeping and a lack of specific criteria for waiving government fees leaves the “revenue collection operations open to abuse,” according to the acting auditor general.
Government's Computer Services boss retires
The director of the government’s Computer Services Department, Gilbert McLaughlin, has retired after more than 30 years in the department.
Woman accused of $27,000 permanent residency scam
A woman helped con expatriates out of more than $27,000 by pretending the cash was required for legitimate permanent residency applications, Crown prosecutors alleged in Grand Court Thursday.
Permanent residence grants: The number is still zero
More than 500 people have applied for permanent residence status under the new Cayman Islands Immigration Law in the past two years. This is how many people have been granted PR status under the new law: Zero.
No PR grants yet under new law
More than 500 non-Caymanians have applied for permanent resident status in the Cayman Islands over the past two years under the revised Immigration Law, but so far none have been awarded that status.
Saintvil loves Wolverines' unity
Nekita Saintvil whizzes up and down the field for Anytime Fitness Wolverines and is one of their key players, which is partly why they were crowned women’s flag football champs last week.
