500+ permanent residency applications now reviewed
(CNS): More than 500 individuals and families who have been waiting on decisions about their potential future in the Cayman Islands have now been considered by the relevant board and admin staff at immigration. Although there are still 876 applications awaiting a decision, the authorities are now getting to grips with what was in some cases a more than three-year backlog. The rate of approval is now running at 48%, with 26% of applications being refused since May.
According to the latest statistics, the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board and administrators from the immigration department have reviewed 503 applications and made decisions on 374 since they began their work again in May.
Between 29 September and 5 October alone, 33 more applications were approved and five were refused. Another eight were differed, while three were withdrawn by the applicants and just one was out of time.
Category: Local News
My question is what is the population limit for this Island to still allow comfortable living for everyone. It is not about foreigners vs locals, it is just that when we are increasing the population and also the amount of tourists, how is this going to play out in praxis?
Schools are already at max capacity (including private schools). Hospital and ER appear to be overwhelmed, major road projects are started moving the bottle neck from one area to another, but it takes ages to get it completed. We still don’t have even close to a proper publication transportation system and many areas are lacking proper waste treatment facilities so most private residences (and probably businesses) still have individuals septic tanks seeping into the ground. Mount trashmore is years away from being sorted, and garbage collectors are already struggling staying on top of the ever increasing amount.
So don’t just turns this into a foreigner vs expat issue – some people raise legitimate questions which will need to be answered and there needs to be proper planning put in place. We all know that the Government (not matter which party) tends to deal with matters through knee-jerk reactions rather than thinking ahead……….
The reality is that our population could very comfortably (though perhaps not for many) triple or quintuple over the next 100 years before that question becomes germane. Bahamas have almost 400,000 people resident. By contract, the majority of Grand Cayman’s privately-owned land-locked interior is unaccessible and undeveloped – that will inevitably change, and is already happening. All of our infrastructure can be scaled up with money, rebar, and Will – including water, sewage, and trash – the only shortage is sufficient commercial opportunity to draw those numbers today, and political leadership willing to be held responsible. None of our elected representatives are qualified to opine on population limits. I can tell you right now, that a “China-esque” one child policy is not going to go over very well, here, or anywhere else in the “freedom loving” world.
Are you insane? The Bahamas are over 5.000 square miles of land, over 50 time our size. They are also an economic disaster even when compared to us on our worst of days. Bigger is not always better.
Nassau has about 250,000 people in the space of 79 square miles. Grand Cayman is 75 square miles.
A third of Grand Cayman’s land is mangrove swamp below sea level, and Nassau is nothing to aspire to replicate.
Whoever is approving these is just putting them and their children out of a future job. Bring back rollover for everyone and 5 year permits.
Yes please there are not enough jobs
Period
Start a business?
Most startups fail in the first year. You would also need capital. How can you start a business if you’re already broke to begin with??
Instead of excuses, focus on cultivating a positive attitude. Yes lots of startups fail but the difference in many instances between failure and success of any startup is perseverance, attitude and knowledge…all of these are in your control. FYI – I also don’t know of any smart investor who would turn away a good idea/opportunity backed by an individual with the above character traits. If they do, there is probably a good reason for it and you should learn from their input, adapt and think again.
All of the applicants, had retained their advertised work permit jobs for at least 8 years. That means that there was no Caymanian hired (by the Caymanian business owner) to fill that position. Was that by design? A great conspiracy? Take it up with the employers and the Immigration department that vets and grants permits, not with those that filled the positions advertised, and did the work that had be done, to the standard the employer required. These populist calls to blockade the lives of career-minded people that are doing exactly what they were asked to do…any failings of this system are not their fault. Stonewalling them might make you feel better, but it’s not going to necessarily grow a Caymanian to take their place to the standard or pay scale the Caymanian employer requires (and in many cases, internationally competitive).
It should but doesn’t mean that…employers are using slimy machinations to circumvent the law and Alden is too focused on work permit revenues to care.
Fronting?
who wants to live in a third world back water like cayman They should be grateful anyone applies
One gets PR to get status so you can leave and still get easy money from the local economy.
How do you leave and still make money from the local economy?
You keep your 60% ownership in local companies. Best of all, if you leave now, you get your pension sent to you in 2 years!
God, our Government can be such an ignorant bunch.
Very easy. Start a business. Get work permits for your friends and family. Get them to do your bidding. Send the profits to you in Canada, UK or wherever you are living your cushy life. Perfect!
for such a ‘self proclaimed’ ‘great christian nation’…there can be only one question:
what would jesus do?????
Sever connection !!!!!!!
Honwobble fa life.
And Alden’s head remains firmly in the sand.
The worst and weakest leader ever….3 more years and there will be nothing left for Caymanians….you must speak out against Alden’s leadership…
4:04 I remember Alden 10 years ago in the LA backing the term limit (roll over) and slagging off ex-pats like me. Anyone know what’s changed here?
I agree somewhat. It is what it is but going forward the immigration laws needs to be revamped and go back to the system of granting a few Pr and status grants every few years. I think only two 3 year permits should be granted and the person should have to go back home for three years and if they return again they should have to start over on a new permit. PR and status should be granted primarily on merit, and not points. Regulation 6 should be upheld or taken out of the law altogether. Right now it serves no purpose. Everyone should respect each other be they expats or belongers.
The problem has always been, and continues to be, one of compliance with international human and civil rights and obligations. Right of abode, and the requirement to have a functional path to citizenship, are not fairyland constructs that can be suspended by dithering provincially-minded xenophobes. Our poorly advised Cabinet is finding this out the hard way, and we are paying for each of them to “learn-as-they-go” at mid-six-figure comp.
And morons like you are quite happy to share this little space with all of us dithering,provincially minded xenophobes. Life was so much better before you came with all your brilliance.Cayman has a right to limit its grants of security of tenure whether PR or CS but you were not here when that right was confirmed. We don’t have to give you a damn thing so get over it.
Waiting to be put on Alden’s reservation.
Just adding more fury to the fire to the already depraved society!
Depraved? Talking about the sex toys? ?
No ! About the begging, hardships, mothers stealing to buy food for their kids and the list goes on.
That is not depraved, it is deprived.
And cue comments “The end of Cayman as we know it”, “Doom gloom and despair”, “Cayman is sinking under the wait of furreners”, yet when I looked out the window just now, everything looked exactly the same.
THERE are not enough jobs as is why are granting status……
we are the slippery path like the US AND BRITIAN keeping letting people in and yet the job is not growing.
Zero sum caveman alert. Zero sum caveman alert.
You miss the point. We are granting status to hundreds of un-employables in addition to those that create opportunity!
In order to apply for status in the first place the applicants have to be on island for at least 8 years (among many other things) , do you think they have just been on island twiddling their thumbs?
No, to apply for status you have to:
1. Live in Cayman for 8 years and then
2. Apply for PR and then
3. Be naturalized as a BOTC and then
4. 5 years later apply for status.
That usually takes 14 to 15 years.
Most people, no matter where they are working or how much money and savings they have, will get it.
An alternative is to marry a Caymanian and you will get status in 7 years, no matter how much or how little money you may have.
All foreign children whose parents get status, get status too.
You wondering why your import duties are so high? Do the math!
These are popular myths. The complete process in reality takes most more than 20 years. 15 is the minimum duration of gainful, non-dependant, non-draining contribution before a CI Status Application can even be submitted, unless marrying a Caymanian, or Weinsteining a 2003 Cabinet Status Grant. You are correct that there are three application steps, spaced over many many years – each with it’s own laundry list of hoops and vetting, which have been done by All-Caymanian Boards. None of this has anything to do with import duty…
3.06, if you looked in the Compass last Friday there were at a guess some 300 jobs advertised…plenty of jobs around..its just for some of them, you actually need to do the job to get paid. Stop your excuses. If you are not qualified, go get the qualifications and the right attitude to make yourself employable. Very easy to blame someone else for your own faults, harder to do something about the reality, but its the only way that works…
Damn. I knew I should have got that mixology qualification so I could be qualified to hand beers accross a counter!
BS. If you are a Caymanian it’s an automatic strike against you. Those 300 jobs you saw advertised already had work permit papers signed and ready to submit once the 2 week advertising period expires. Check into reality, dude. This is the reality. If you are a CaymanIan and have a good paying job, you are blessed. You are also in the minority. The struggle is real.
Bring on the Nationalism and cries of “mass grants”, these applicants followed the rules that the government laid out for them, we can’t provide a path and tell them this is how you get to stay here and then when they do those things and follow our rules, tell them thanks but no thanks you have to leave now bye. If you have a problem with the system I hear you, it’s not perfect but the constant “Us vs. Them” caymanian mindset egged on by social media posts, groups and “news” publications is so tiring. We laugh at the Trump Vs Muslims/Mexicans Sagas going on in the US but then we turn around and do the exact same thing, spreading the exact same ideas and messages. Watching so many people blame all of the problems in Cayman on expats is so frustrating because they refuse to hold the Caymanians in power currently and previously, accountable. If our own people who are in charge aren’t the ones to be held responsible why are the expats?
Diogenes
Amen Dio!
Well said Diogenes. 500 qualified new customers spending in Cayman sure beats the 3000 economic dependants gifted a living by the honwobble woteseeker.
I do hope there will be major changes to the immigration law. This 2×4 rock cannot safely accommodate to many mor. It is not just another person living here, but it comes with all the ancillary issues of roads, schools, sewarge, etc. I really don’t believe we can add more miles to “Rock Cayman” sooner or later some of us will have to move to make space, and it certainly won’t be me and mine.
Are you expecting that it will sink?
One slight disagreement here Diogenes. In the U.S. people are literally invading the country by the millions without even going through any kind of immigration process. Expats in Cayman come here legally under a set of rules and conditions. Entirely different than what’s happening in the U.S. You really cannot compare the two.
I’m not comparing the situations per se I’m comparing the rhetoric involved (hence why I said “spreading the exact same ideas and messages”) , people use the same arguments about illegal immigrants in the US that they do here about Expats ie “The expats/immigrants are stealing our jobs”, “the expats/immigrants are the source of all the crime” “the expats/immigrants are here to destroy our country/culture and take over”
Also you might want to look at the numbers on that again, it is estimated that there is a net outflow of illegal Mexican immigration in the US (aka more immigrants are leaving than entering) and this trend has existed since 2011 if memory serves
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/apr/26/ron-kind/yes-experiencing-net-outflow-illegal-undocumented-/
Diogenes
Fair enough, but Americans are fully justified to say that they want their borders controlled for many and obvious reasons, what country in the world allows open and unchecked immigration? It is only recently that the tide has turned on illegal immigration (enter Donald Trump).
Americans are also justified in stopping immigration from certain countries where there is no reliable way of vetting the immigrant and in particular when those countries have serious issues with Islamic extremism. Yemen and Afghanistan are good examples. Those are not unreasonable positions to take nor is it anti-Muslim. If it were, the U.S. would ban entry from places like Indonesia which has the highest population of Muslims in the world.
There are parallels in the USA/Cayman rhetoric where it comes to expats “stealing jobs”. The major difference is, in the U.S. Mexicans, and others poured over the border by the millions with impunity for 25+ years and effectively lowered the wages of almost every construction trade, laborer and food service worker. Though expats are here in Cayman legally, I can sympathize with those Caymanians who find themselves laying concrete block for $5 per hour when that job should rightfully pay triple that or more if not for the imported low wage labor. Its pervasive, good companies are then forced to follow the low wage lead in order to survive. At the same time you have a constant drum beat that everything is already too expensive here in Cayman. Well, there is your catch 22.
Indeed it becomes very complicated.
Make no mistakes even before Trump got into office the US had some of the most intensive vetting procedures of any government when it comes to immigrants especially when it comes to those from the middle east and muslim majority countries taking anywhere from 18 months up to 2 years and beyond before some persons are given permission.
So the whole Trump is just trying to keep America safe argument is bullshit, if you want proof of that just look at the countries that he had in his initial travel ban. All of the countries were Muslim majority countries that are currently in an uneasy relationship with the US for one reason or another. If you think that he is actually trying to keep America safe and isn’t just a bigot riding the wave of western Islamophobia to power then explain to me why Saudi Arabia the country where the majority of the 9/11 attackers originated from isn’t on that list (or any of the subsequent lists he has put out) mind you Osama Bin Laden was a rich Saudi national. The majority of countries on that list have not had persons involved with terrorism in the US in the last 40 years (there have been 3 non fatal attacks or alleged attacks by Somalian and Iranian nationals since 9/11 but the rest of the countries have what equates to 0 in most peoples books)
The plan is purely anti muslim and if you don’t believe me then feel free to listen to the multiple montages of him at multiple rallies clearly stating “This is a total and complete shutdown on all muslim immigration to the US”.
As to your points about the Mexican immigrants flooding the market with cheap labour, there will always be someone willing to do the same work for less, because it is better than having nothing, If you honestly think that the average american is going to stand out in the hot Californian sun all day and pick avocados for 2 months a year then you must be lying to yourself. Same as Cayman the expats and (illegal immigrants in the case of the US) will do the work that the populous considers itself too good to do, cleaners, waitstaff, hospitality etc etc. The majority of Caymanians think of themselves too highly to be doing that kind of work (especially the newer generations) there is a demand for labor that is not met by the local population so therefore the laborers are brought in. If you want to talk about wage inequality or stagnant wages that is a completely separate conversation based mostly on economic principles and theories.
Diogenes
Totally disagree with most everything you said. For one thing, they have a solid infrastructure system in place in Saudi Arabia unlike a place like Yemen. You can vet someone from Yemen for 10 years and base it on what exactly? Saudi Arabia, though backwards in many ways is a modernized country with high sophistication. I spent time in the middle east including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar etc. Huge differences between them and some of the other countries on the ban list. The term bigot and racist have become almost meaningless. Simply disagreeing with someone of a different race these days is enough to get you labeled a racist or bigot.
I also grew up in the U.S.A mowing yards, cutting firewood, tasseling corn in the summer and all sort of menial jobs. Americans will work for a fair wage. American teenage workers have been replaced by illegal workers. They are no longer expected to cut their teeth in the working world by bagging groceries or washing dishes as I did. I’m not against immigration when it’s legal and thoughtful. Sophomoric bumper sticker slogans and extreme views on either side seem to drive the narrative. I think Cayman has a decent balance but the extremes on both sides make the most noise so it always seems worse than it is.
You really believe expats are all here lawfully?
Probably not, there are probably a handful here that over stay. Immigration rounds them up, fines them and puts them on a plane. And those people came here through immigration. Or is it that you believe there is a massive amount of people landing in Cayman undetected and undocumented? If so, do share your evidence and approximately how many.
No, but I believe and in fact know that there are very substantial numbers of persons here who lied or mislead to get their immigration permissions.
“substantial numbers” translation, a few acquaintances that got dumped after she got her papers.
Questions for you:
How many persons on work permits answer the question on the form “I use illegal drugs” by confirming that they do.
Is that number more (or substantially less) than the number of work permit holders using illegal drugs?
There are questions that everyone answers dishonestly if you wish to do something..even on medical questionannaires pretty much everyone says they are only light drinkers and occasional smokers when some of them drink like fish and smoke like a workhouse chimney…if you answer yes, you ain’t coming here. Now tell me how that is different from a Caymanian drug user who says he doesn’t use to get a job?
Well, I suppose you’ve got me there, but that’s not really an honest argument is it since were talking about people here that are unknown to the immigration department or are here more as fugitives than anything else.
Still makes their permits unlawfully obtained though, doesn’t it?