Over one third of applicants securing PR
(CNS): Immigration staff and relevant board members have now reviewed 146 applications for permanent residency from a backlog of more than 1,000 submissions made over at least the last three years with just over a third approved to date. According to the latest figures from the Department of Immigration, based on the work of both administrators as well as the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board, 53 people have received permanent residency in the last few months, while 37 were refused. Another 29% of applications have, however, been deferred to allow the applicants an opportunity to update their information which could pave the way for more people being approved.
Although the pace of work reviewing the applications has picked up, with almost 50 applications considered between 3 and 10 August, the sheer volume of the backlog means that since May only around 10% of the outstanding applications have been looked at.
This ongoing controversy continues to stir anger among locals who are concerned about the increase in overseas workers who will eventually become Caymanian and compete for jobs, while ex-pats are upset over the uncertainty regarding their employment and homes because of the extended wait to hear their fate.
Premier Alden McLaughlin, who includes immigration in his ministerial portfolios, has said that there will not be any mass grants of residency or status to address the problems created by the stalled process owing to weaknesses in the legislation. But he is also faced with a potential legal backlash as applicants pursue cases in the courts over the delay.
See the latest PR statistics from the Immigration Department in the CNS Library
Category: Immigration
Many people may not like my comment, both Caymanians and Expats alike. I am not going to say which bucket I fall into either. The reality for Cayman is such, that they need expats and expats need them. But not purely from a work perspective. I mean as a resident to stay via marriage to a Caymanian. There should be no PR granted only via marriage. PR would mean expats would import all their relatives or partners taking over Cayman. Caymanians need a greater gene pool to get a gene pool jackpot. There is too much inbreeding otherwise. This makes for less competitive generations to come if certain traits/genes/disabilities go on. With a fresh gene pool from abroad Cayman will have a better chance of succeeding on all levels. So the solution. PR/citizenship via marriage only. Temp work permits for expats who want to work, make money in Cayman. If you grant these people permanent residency the Cayman people will be overrun eventually by expats and their relatives.
Ah, but you see we have this constitution thing that will ultimately guarantee long term resident the right to stay here forever whether we like it or not. The solution is to have rollover. If rollover is applied too strictly however without any alternatives, we will not be able to attract some persons we need, including specialist doctors and some finance industry professionals. To deal with that we had this exemption from rollover called key employee. That limited who could apply for Permanent Residence to manageable numbers and ensured that only persons making a special contribution could remain. It worked. Government then chose to open up the right to apply for Permanent Residence to anyone and everyone who was here for 8 years. It then made points so easy to get that most people who apply will get Permanent Residence. We keep throwing away what works. Now look where we are.
I agree. What they did was reinvent the wheel. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Roll over and key employee worked perfectly. It is so easy to get points and residency so it will be a major issue in coming years and point of contention far worse than it is now.
Key employee was also unnecessary. It should have been limited to business owners who employ a caymanian. A key employee if they were so key would have been transferred abroad for a year under roll over. General managers of offshore offices are only mid level elsewhere and the MDs in London or wherever could have brought someone else. PR and key employee was a way to import a mangerial class that will ensure their children get the best future roles through networking. Way to go cayman. Should have left rollover in place
We know which bucket you’ve fallen into. No worries.
I am an expat for your info. I just don’t like the thought and idea of such inbreeding in a small country. It is not healthy for any one. Caymanians need to get off island and find partners or marry expats who come to Cayman.
Interesting point of view. However, to follow your logic, you should only offer PT to those that procreate, not just get married. That might just be a human rights problem tho!
What the Gov’t needs to do is revoke the PRs of those who are in arrears to balance out the numbers – but as usual, there is no enforcement in Cayman.
Also I really hope what I heard on Talk Today is not true, and people on WPs and PR are not getting assistance from NAU.
1. It’s upsetting enough to see the statistics of non-Caymanians on the labour force statistics as part of the unemployment figures (as what are you doing here if you are an unemployed non-Caymanian?).
2. If you are on a WP how are you eligible for assistance from NAU – as in point 1 you should not even be here.
3. Isn’t financial stability a pre-requisite to gaining PR? Otherwise we are just importing poverty?
Maybe I’m mistaken – CNS can you find out if this is true and if so the circumstances with which the above is permitted.
Well I never thought I would say this but we need Big Mac to form a coalition with independents and get Alden out of there….Alden seems to be totally clueless about the damage he is doing with his lenient work permits and now what I’m sure will be at least 500 new PR’s with family.
It will be at least 1,500 including family.
Were u at Hard Rock too!
Oh dear, you want a proven gambler to take over from a trained lawyer? That’ll do it.
I see the lawyer’s policies destroying any opportunity for Caymanians in their own country..I’ll take a gamble on Mac instead of certain destruction of the Cayman culture.
Naïve 6.13..Mac only has one Caymanian on his mind and its not you.
Good point…sadly our current Premier has no Caymanian on his mind.
money comes first
I know 2003 was 14yrs ago but if you recall Mac handed out a hell of a lot more status grants than what is being given now in PR grants.
You do realize that people who are granted have already been for years and are, in many cases, established members of the community?
Not a country. Not even close.
CNS – I believe so far 53 have been granted and 37 denied. There have been a large number of deferrals, but that may be no indication of the likely outcome. It seems to me that of the applications decided, more than two thirds of applicants are being granted PR (so far).
Jobs will freeze up. As to get pr you need money and you need a good job for that. So no more good jobs as any good ones will have a pr expat sitting in it. Bring back roll over and deny these pr applications if your kids are to have a future.
The Caymanians elect the government, (not the expats whose permits are under review). Those elected to government are Caymanians. People in immigration dept. are Caymanians. So if things are not working, look to the Caymanians and stop blaming the expats.
My PR application is under review. I just want to work, earn a living, save a bit for my future. I just happen to be doing it in Cayman right now because there is work available and same as I have done in 6 other countries. I don’t want to live here forever, I don’t want to buy a house. The only reason I am applying for PR is because your Government told me I had to!
I completely understand that there are unemployed Caymanians, and if one of them can do my job, they can have it. But it is not my responsibility to track down that Caymanian, ask them about their experience, skills and when are they available to start. It is the Government’s job to do that. And to identify the true % of unemployed but available persons and to identify how to get them job ready. And to be forward thinking in terms of educating all Caymanian kids to be employable in the future.
But in the meantime if the Caymanians are not happy with this whole process, stop inciting hate (because guess what! you need all the expats you have here right now as there just is simply not enough Caymanians to run the country in its current form) and instead put the pressure on your GOV and your ministers to identify how to get all Caymanians working.
And please understand that if 2500 leave because of the pensions, and 1100 leave because of the PR process, and another 2000 leave because they are so sick of listening to nasty Caymanians blaming everyone else… then there will be less money in circulation,(bars, restaurants, tourism due to visiting family and friends, supermarkets, gas, Caymanian properties with no renters etc.) and less opportunities to put the “true unemployed Caymanians” to work.
Most normal expats I talk to in the finance sector, even those with status who are not filth rich, all state that when they retire they will head home, because it is so outrageously expensive to live here, especially for healthcare, and they can live like kings in certain parts of Europe for much less than it would cost here…so I suspect when certain elements target expats, they are not targeting the Financial service sector. I suspect its is aimed at one or two ethnic groups….
Well certainly, all Xpats have a native home to return to with choices of benefits after building their careers and achieving dreams in someone else country, while in many cases hindering the possibility of creating an obstacle to that Country’s own citizens achieving theirs. The bottom line is those Citizens, in this case ‘Caymanians’ have little choice and must live out their retirement years in a highly expensive manner indirectly created by foreign elements and different social practices and culture
Wrong! It’s that mindset which has grown and bred. Look within first and stop pointing the finger.
Repeat after me, “Your Government”
Caymanians have the choice. I will agree that education has to be improved and skills taught, however there are not even close to the number of skilled, intelligent Caymanians needed in the financial sector. It all comes down to education and willingness to work hard. Either choose that route, or don’t bitch when you don’t get the chance to be a director of a multinational firm.
The jobs are disappearing and the ones that are there are being sat in by an expat.
I love the use of Xpats it is like we have secret identities & super powers the normal community lacks. Captain Diligence, Show-up-on-time Girl and Useful Man!
We are a colony! We are controlled. When we go can think for our selves then you can hold us Caymanians responsible! We do not have the final say! We are a colony.
When the Governor was in charge of immigration it operated well and protected Caymanians. You cannot blame the British for what has happened since control was handed over to politicians.
Rod, you are only controlled by the cosmic rays and drug dealers. The rest you managed to elect. Despite or in spite of yourselves…
No one elects your government but you (Caymanians). No one makes the financial decisions of CIG other than the very Caymanians you elect. Stop trying to pull a Trump and change present alternative facts, the fact is Cayman has no one to blame for its current state but itself.
It has failed to plan, chosen the path of deceit and corruption in its affairs and preferred shortcuts and style over hard decisions, hard work and true Christian values. You may believe your own lies but sooner or later they will catch up with you and it looks like your lack of foresight is coming back on you.
I am Caymanian and I understand your candid comments. It Is our problem not yours and it definitely need to be fixed by us. By no means or fault of any Xpat who as a human being can choose how they want to live, have dreams, set goals and work hard and choose where they want to be if accepted.
They probably can do your job but your employer is probably from the same country as you or they want to help you out. So they basically advertise your resume and bend the advertisement of your job so caymanians don’t waste their time applying.
Of course they are stirred up, and your headline doesn’t help…had you written two thirds had not been granted PR (yet) then it would read better to Caymanians, and still be true. However your points are all valid, and what it really means, if we are to avoid a major issue at some point, is that CIG need to explain how this all works, the fees, how immigration works, what it is doing to improve, how the world works in general (such as you cannot be the boss if you are wholly unqualified to be so and being Caymanian is not a qualification)and to come up with vocational training for those Caymanians who want to work in a trade. The views held by some on here do not reflect the reality..expats are being blamed for all issues, when it is mostly nothing to do with them. Most expats wish to contribute to society however are beginning to feel marginalized from the constant and frankly idiotic attacks on them, including (amongst others) the new pension law.
We all need to tone it down a bit and talk to each other, and more importantly listen to each other. If the pot keeps getting stirred the consequences could be appalling for all.
Excellent comment. One Love
And more are applying every day…Alden you need to fix YOUR (liberal work permits, abandoned roll-over) mess before you give away the entire country.
you are 3 decades too late !
Territory, sweetie-pie, territory. British soil.