Topic: permanent residency
MPs show wide support for sweeping immigration reforms
Sweeping changes to immigration laws were widely supported by MPs during a lengthy debate in Parliament this week.
Pandemic job loss at centre of permanent residency battle
A woman whose permanent residency application was turned down by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal has filed a writ challenging the decision on the grounds that she was not a visiting tourist as outlined for the reason in turning her down.
Permanent residents who fail to submit annual declarations could face revocation
WORC warns PR holders to submit annual declaration forms or face possible revocation of their permanent residency.
Immigration minister calls for 22-year wait for Caymanian status
Foreign workers may have to wait up to 22 years to be eligible for Caymanian status under sweeping immigration reforms expected to go to Parliament this year.
Lawyers say Cayman’s PR points system is ‘not working’
Cayman's permanent residency points system is riddled with so many loopholes that it is not working effectively, according to one of the islands' top immigration lawyers.
Government unveils proposed immigration reforms
A parliamentary white paper has outlined a raft of proposed immigration reforms, including requiring work-permit holders to leave Cayman for a year before they can work for a new employer, and extending timelines for status and permanent residency applications.
Two years on, still no permanent residency resolution
Legal experts are drafting proposed recommendations to tighten Cayman's permanent residency regime in a bid to limit who can qualify to remain indefinitely.
Immigration lawyer warns of ‘ludicrous’ backlog for status and PR applications
At the rate status applications currently are being processed, a person applying now for the right to be Caymanian through naturalisation would not get through the system until 2032, according to immigration specialist lawyer Nick Joseph.
Over 300 permanent residency applications pending
As of July there were just over 300 outstanding permanent residency applications awaiting processing, a significant decrease from the 800 backlogged in the last two years, according to Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman Director Jeremy Scott.
PR history and culture test to remain under wraps
Details of the history and culture test for permanent residency will remain secret in order to respect a non-disclosure policy at the government department in charge of immigration.
Permanent residency points system ruled unconstitutional
The permanent residency points system does not give sufficient weight to the individual circumstances of an applicant, the Court of Appeal declared this week.
Intrigue and controversy surround test for permanent residency in Cayman
With questions ranging from the identity of famous fiddlers of yesteryear to the date the islands’ mosquito control unit was established, the history and culture test has long been a source of intrigue and sometimes controversy for those seeking permanent residency.
Take the quiz: Could you pass the PR test?
Take our quiz to see how you would fare on the history and culture test for permanent residency applicants.
Conference highlights Cayman’s residency by investment offering
Although real estate-based and business-related investment paths to residency in the Cayman Islands have existed for years, service providers called it one of the migration industry’s best-kept secrets at the Cayman Islands Residency by Investment Summit on Tuesday.
Saunders: ‘Increased scrutiny’ has delayed permanent residence applications
Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, in responding to concerns over lengthy processing of permanent residence applications, said increased scrutiny and not a moratorium has caused the delay.
Legal action looms over delayed permanent residency applications
The Cayman Islands government is facing potential legal challenges over what appears to be a Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board-imposed moratorium on processing permanent residency applications.
Business owners want to ditch rollover
Business owners would like to see a review of Cayman’s ‘rollover’ policy, requiring work permit holders to either leave the island or apply for permanent residency status after nine years.
$2.6M in unpaid PR fees owed to government
Just over 100 people have had their permanent residency status revoked for failing to pay PR fees, $2.6 million in uncollected fees still outstanding.
1,400 permanent residency applications approved in one year
After clearing a backlog of some 1,200 permanent residency applications about a year ago, government has continued to process hundreds more.
Ombudsman orders document release
The ombudsman for the Cayman Islands government issued a ruling Thursday directing Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman to publish relevant decision-making documents in a case regarding a permanent residency inquiry.
Two more challenge denials of permanent residency
Two more people are challenging government’s decision to deny their permanent residency bids, arguing that the Immigration Appeals Tribunal unfairly discriminated against them in considering their applications.
Bill eases way for long-term residents to apply for PR
The Immigration Transition Bill seeks to remove a restriction that prevents residents who have been in the Cayman Islands for more than nine years from applying for permanent residence.
Another Jamaican challenging permanent residency denial
Jamaican national Rohan Anthony Seymour is challenging government’s decision to deny his bid for permanent residency, arguing that the Immigration Appeals Tribunal discriminated against his nationality when it considered his application.
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.
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.
Government: No major delays from PR board change
Changes that introduced five new members, including a new chairman, to the immigration board that decides on grants of Caymanian status and permanent residence will not significantly delay any pending residency cases, senior government officials said Thursday.
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.
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.
PR applications reviews
Today's editorial cartoon
Two more permanent residency challenges filed in July
A teacher and a commodities trader are the latest permanent residence-seekers to challenge government’s delays in hearing their applications to remain in the territory for the rest of their lives. Applications for judicial review were filed last month on behalf of Samantha Shields and Justin Colgan.
CaymanMan: New Job
Today's editorial cartoon
PR hires
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL: PR backlog: The line is getting longer!
This isn’t working, and unless major changes are made, it can never work.
Some PR applicants delay litigation
Although six people have sought a court’s review to date, several other permanent residence applicants have delayed decisions to sue the government over its failure to hear their applications in a timely manner. One firm representing a number of applicants seeking the right to remain in Cayman for the rest of their life said many of its clients are taking a “wait and see” approach.
Sixth residency challenge filed
Another court challenge has been filed over a permanent residency application, this time in a relatively recent matter. Oliver Sinton is seeking judicial review over the failure of the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board and the chief immigration officer to hear his March 4, 2016 residence application.
Premier: No ‘mass grants’ of permanent residency
Just one out of the 10 permanent residence applications considered by the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board Thursday received approval, according to government officials.
EDITORIAL – The empty executive suite at Immigration
Premier Alden McLaughlin appears to be following through on his commitment to “sort out immigration,” and we applaud him for addressing it at the outset of his second term as premier of these islands. Our economic health depends on fixing this interminably broken system.
Residency hearings to start next week
A government-appointed board will begin considering a backlog of between 900 and 1,000 permanent residence applications sometime next week, according to the Ministry of Immigration. Applicants may be contacted by the Immigration Department as early as next week if further details are needed to process their cases, ministry officials said.
EDITORIAL – PR delays: Are the courts the only solution?
"Soon come" has come and gone for the roughly 1,000 people with pending applications for Cayman Islands permanent residency.
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.
Work permit numbers stabilize at about 24,000
The number of foreign workers on work permits in the Cayman Islands leveled off during the latter part of 2016, with just less than 24,000 non-Caymanians employed here as of early December.
Good Light
Good Light — Today's editorial cartoon
2 Honduran kids who faced deportation can remain in Cayman
Two children who faced deportation to Honduras in August, possibly being sent back by themselves into an abusive situation, have been allowed to remain in Cayman at least until they reach adulthood, the Immigration Appeals Tribunal has ruled.
Government collects $9.5 million per year in PR fees
The Cayman Islands Immigration Department collected an estimated $67.2 million in permanent residency fees between mid-2009 and last month, with fee collections averaging about $9.5 million per year from those who legally maintained that immigration status. The current unpaid residency fees – about $2.7 million – represents less than five percent of the fees paid to government over the past seven years.
Unpaid PR fees reach over $4 million
Government is owed more than $4 million in unpaid permanent residency fees, some dating back seven years, according to data from a citizens’ freedom of information request.
Immigration scam case: Former press secretary to McKeeva testifies
Charles Glidden, former press secretary to the premier from 2010 to 2013, gave evidence last week in the trial of Paul Anthony Hume Ebanks, who is accused of collecting $164,700 largely by falsely representing that cash was required as payment for a legitimate grant of Caymanian status or permanent residency.
EDITORIAL – ‘Relentless’!
Although it is unlikely Premier McLaughlin intended for us to take it as a compliment, being labeled “relentless” is among the highest praise a newspaper could ever hope to receive. We’ve already got the T-shirts in production.
Witness says he gave money for status directly to Ebanks
A man who started working in Cayman in 1981 told a court Wednesday that he gave $1,500 to someone introduced to him as Paul Bodden for the purpose of obtaining status. Paul Williams was giving evidence in the trial of Paul Anthony Hume Ebanks, who has pleaded not guilty to obtaining property by deception – falsely representing that cash was required as payment for a legitimate grant of Caymanian status.
Travers joins Bush in call for more open immigration policy
Leading attorney and financial services advocate Anthony Travers took to the stage alongside former Premier McKeeva Bush at a Cayman Democratic Party rally Monday night to call for a more open immigration policy. Both Mr. Travers and Mr. Bush criticized government’s lack of action in dealing with hundreds of permanent residency applications and said the approach had to change.
Applicant wins residency appeal after it lay dormant for 7 years
An appeal of permanent resident status that lay dormant for more than seven years after it was initially rejected has finally been awarded to the applicant in the case, a former staffer of the Cayman Islands governor’s office.
Property perspective – Statistical review: Property prices are up, inventory is down
Regular readers of my monthly updates will know that we like to periodically take an overview of the statistics produced by CIREBA, the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association, the entity charged with overseeing Cayman’s real estate industry. These statistics, especially when viewed within a historical context, always make for interesting reading and point to current market trends.
EDITORIAL – Whither Cayman: Globalism or populism?
The world has never been more prosperous. And yet, dissatisfaction with economic and social inequalities in a fast-changing global economy are engendering increasing division and social disruption throughout the world.
