Topic: Wesley Howell
Details on exemptions to job-hopping regulations published
Government has published regulations relating to its immigration reform legislation, which will come into effect on 1 May, including the rules that will apply to job-hopping.
Cayman’s voter turnout is among the world’s highest
The Cayman Islands consistently ranks among the world’s top performers in voter turnout, far outpacing most Caribbean nations and even the United States and Canada.
Vote-buying reports prompt advisory from Elections Office
Amid reports of vote-buying and voter harassment during the ongoing election period, the Elections Office has urged all candidates, supporters and voters to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
Government approves $2.4M for immigration detention centre
Government has approved funding for a new detention centre that can house more than 200 Cubans or other nationals arriving illegally in Cayman.
Auditor general: WORC has no power to reject job ads
Ten of thousands of jobs are advertised each year in the Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman employment portal, but the agency has no power to reject ads that are written specifically to exclude certain candidates, lawmakers have heard.
Labour ministry drawing up national employment strategy
The labour ministry is working on drawing up a policy to address unemployment among Caymanians which it says should be ready for a new government to review following next year’s general election.
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.
Labour minister a no-show as government punts minimum wage report to public
Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour, who is charged with taking the findings of Cayman's long awaited minimum wage report forward, was noticeably absent from Wednesday's media conference to address questions on the future of the recommended wage uplift.
Government agencies cracking down on illegal workers
Two government agencies will be ramping up efforts to crack down on illegal workers and overstayers as part of increased crime-prevention efforts.
Passport2Success celebrates graduation of latest cohort
After 12 weeks in Passport2Success, the employment training and personal development programme, 16 young Caymanians were celebrated at a graduation ceremony on Friday, 29 Sept.
New law changes seek to tighten Cayman’s asylum process
Government is moving to change the asylum process, so that successful refugees are not automatically granted indefinite leave to stay in the Cayman Islands.
Bryan: No end date for Travel Cayman approval requirement
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has confirmed that there is no definite end date to the requirement to obtain Travel Cayman approval to travel here.
10,600 work permits deferred over last 10 months
Just over a third of work-permit applications have been either deferred or refused since April 2021, with the majority being placed on hold as Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman seeks to place Caymanians in employment.
341 stipend recipients face payment delays
Some 341 tourism stipend recipients are yet receive their payments, which is dependent on their completion of the Labour Ministry’s survey that assesses their employment status and determines what stipend amount they’re entitled to receive.
The Resh Hour: Howell addresses stipend delays, work-permit deferrals
Customs and Border Control Chief Officer Wesley Howell addresses stipend payment delays and Travel Cayman changes and additional lifting of travel restrictions.
New Customs cargo scanner aims to reduce risk of runaway critters
Cayman's Customs and Border Control team is set to fire-up a new container scanner in the coming weeks which may assist in avoiding any repeats of the runaway raccoon situation that culminated earlier this month.
How will lateral flow testing work for verified vaccinated travellers?
When Phase 4 of government's reopening plan comes into force on Saturday, 20 Nov., verified vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to quarantine. Instead, they will be required to undergo a lateral flow test on days 2, 5 and 10 of their stay.
Six flights and 700 passengers expected on 20 Nov. for border reopening
As Cayman prepares to drop quarantine for verified vaccinated travellers on Saturday, effectively reopening the borders to international visitors, Customs and Border Control officials say they're ready to welcome travellers back to the Islands.
The Resh Hour: Border Control and Labour Chief Officer Wesley Howell
Ministry of Border Control and Labour Chief Officer Wesley Howell discusses Customs and Border Control preparations, the updated travel portal, traveller's requirements and more ahead of Cayman's border reopening on 20 November.
COVID-19 impacts election observers
Local and international COVID-19 health protocols are posing a challenge for the Elections Office’s bid to have independent observers on island to oversee the 14 April polls, Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell has said.
Quarantining voters get green light
Quarantining voters will be allowed to cast their ballots in the general election using mobile or postal voting, Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell has confirmed.
Howell: Elections Law changes ‘administrative’
With four months to go before the May polls, the Elections Act 2021 has been published, with Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell stressing that the legislation does not contain any policy changes or modifications.
Eligible Caymanians urged to register to vote
Any eligible Caymanians wanting to vote in the General Election on 26 May 2021 have only until 4 Jan. 2021 to register. The next interim deadline to register to vote is Thursday 1 Oct.
Cuban refugees petition for marriage rights in Cayman
At least three Cuban adults who successfully petitioned for asylum in Cayman have been denied the ability to add a spouse as a dependent to their immigration status, due to the wording of the Customs and Border Control Law (2018).
WORC addresses jobs portal ‘teething problems’
Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman’s new jobs portal has been struggling with reliability and accessibility issues since its introduction earlier this year. Wesley Howell, chief officer in the Ministry of Employment and Border Control said, so far, the portal had not been well received by employers.
Deadline for January voters list ends
It was the last day for voters to register to be added to the official electors list to be eligible to vote in the cruise berthing referendum if the vote is held in January.
Cruise port referendum target reached
Cayman is heading for its first ever people initiated referendum after the Election's Office confirmed it has verified 5,305 signatures from registered voters - taking the petition past the target required to trigger a national vote on the cruise port project.
Referendum petition passes 70% mark
Campaigners for a referendum on the cruise port are 70% of the way towards hitting the target to trigger a vote, according to the Elections Office.
Government denies interfering in cruise petition verification
Premier Alden McLaughlin has insisted government “has not and will not” interfere with the process to verify the petition calling for a referendum on the cruise port amid criticism from campaigners and opposition politicians.
The issue explained: How the referendum process works
Here, we look at the key questions around the referendum process, and how they were answered.
Every signature on port petition must be verified
The Elections Office will need to individually verify every single signature on the cruise port referendum petition before a vote can take place.
Elections Office: every signature in port petition must be verified
The Elections Office will need to individually verify every single signature on the cruise port referendum petition before a vote can take place.
Port referendum: Elections chief to address meeting
Elections supervisor Wesley Howell will speak at a public meeting Thursday evening on the cruise port referendum issue amid uncertainty over if and when a public vote on the controversial issue will take place.
Can HIV-positive people obtain work permits? Government tight-lipped on matter
There has been a long-standing policy in Cayman of denying work permits to people with HIV, but that policy may have changed behind closed doors at some point within the last several years.
New deputy ombudsman Roulstone switches jobs
Sharon Roulstone was just named the Cayman Islands new deputy ombudsman in January, but she’s already been seconded to another government department for a post that is expected to last for at least a year, possibly two.
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.
Cabinet declines to deport track coach Stephens
Ato Modibo Stephens will be allowed to remain in the Cayman Islands despite a court’s recommendation that he be deported following his conviction last year for convincing a 14-year-old girl to send him topless photos of herself.
UK experts to help set up Cayman coastguard
Two senior U.K. officers have been drafted to help the Cayman Islands create a new coastguard and border protection agency.
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.
Cuba to Cayman: One migrant’s saga
All Yoel and the 38 other Cuban migrants can do is wait, passing the time by undertaking essentially volunteer work, engaging perhaps in the occasional protest, and allowing themselves to indulge in what they felt was forbidden in their “madre patria” of Cuba, that is, to hope.
Candidate: ‘Drop residency requirements’ for voters, politicians
Alric Lindsay has lived in Cayman since he was a child and was adopted by a Caymanian man. His business is here, as is his home, as is pretty much his entire life. However, Mr. Lindsay found himself facing a legal challenge to his ability to run for political office earlier this year.
Cuban migrant escapee sentenced to 3 months imprisonment
A Cuban migrant who escaped the Immigration Detention Centre to bring what he called human rights violations there to the public’s attention was sentenced to three months imprisonment by Magistrate Valdis Foldats on Thursday.
EDITORIAL – Fuel tank fire: Sol soars in the aftermath
Sol’s post-fire actions remind us that even the largest and most “multinational” firms rely ultimately on local workforces in local markets.
New system to monitor Cayman prison guards’ attendance
What’s described as a “pilot” project aimed at better tracking prison officers’ attendance at Her Majesty’s Prisons Service may eventually be extended to the entire government, Ministry of Human Resources officials confirmed.
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.
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.
Hundreds help prepare for general election
The sheer effort, mostly by volunteers, required to host Cayman’s 2017 general election was on display Tuesday at George Town’s Family Life Centre.
Pre-election message: Supervisor of Elections Wesley Howell
The Elections Office is a mostly standalone agency of the Cayman Islands Government, which is committed to promoting democracy through ensuring a fair electoral process.
Faster vote count eyed under new system
One anticipated advantage of Cayman’s new one man, one vote election system is a potentially quicker, easier vote count on election night.
More than 1,000 have already voted
An estimated 5 percent of Cayman’s registered voters have already cast ballots for Wednesday’s general election, although it will not be known how they voted until election night.
Police examine election complaints
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service confirmed Friday that it had received a number of complaints of election-related offenses, ranging from candidate sign defacement or removal to "treating" at some recent political events.
Postal/mobile ballots deadline is Friday
Cayman Islands voters who live overseas or who need the Elections Office to come to them in order to cast their ballots have until the end of the day Friday, May 12, to apply for postal or mobile ballots.
How to cast a ballot if you don’t get your voter ID
Although they are not necessary, voter identification cards for more than 21,000 electors were being distributed by the Cayman Islands Elections Office last week. The law requires the Elections Office to issue ID cards.
Voter ID nightmare for West Bay woman
For the fifth time in the past two decades, Celecia Bancroft will be casting a general election vote under a name that is not legally her own.
Commonwealth officials to observe Cayman elections
The Cayman Islands’ first election in more than 50 years under the one man, one vote system will be observed by international officials from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
No deadline set for candidacy challenges
The supervisor of elections has refused to rule out the possibility of further eligibility challenges to candidates scheduled to stand in the May general election.
Candidate challenges of ‘constitutional importance’
The first of what is expected to be three eligibility challenges to candidates in Cayman’s May general election came before the Grand Court Tuesday, with George Town South candidate Alric Lindsay appearing to answer the case.
Hearings for voter challenges pushed back
The Cayman Islands Elections Office has announced new dates for hearings of claims and objections to the voters list, ahead of the May 24th general election.
‘Inappropriate behavior’ alleged in prisons case
A former prisons custodial manager is alleged to have engaged in “inappropriate behavior” with prisoners, according to correspondence obtained by the Cayman Compass last week.
Last-minute voter push seeks 20,000+ electors
The Cayman Islands now has more registered voters than at any time in its history, and a last-minute push to get out the vote is expected to put the total over 20,000, according to Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell.
Sexual assault alleged at migrant center
The Human Rights Commission alleges that Cuban migrants have been subject to exploitation and sexual assault while awaiting repatriation in Cayman detention centers.
Howell named to top ministry post
Wesley Howell is about to become a very busy man.
Government struggles with delays
With the government’s 2016/17 budget approval process looming, lawmakers remained uncertain whether the Legislative Assembly would meet again prior to the annual May-June opening session and finance committee review.
