Caymanians outraged over need to prove status
(CNS): The immigration department has issued a statement aiming to clarify the situation for people who are Caymanian by right through descent who have to acquire a letter from immigration proving that fact. However, the statement leaves several questions unanswered and has done little to address the outrage local people are feeling about what they see as challenges to their heritage. The government has also said nothing at all about its policy plans going forward on this issue and the related questions surrounding the status of people often described as “ghost Caymanians”.
“Acknowledgment letters are so-called because they offer official proof that a person is Caymanian, whether ‘by right’, ‘by entitlement’ or under other conditions of the Immigration Law. The need for such proof is created where the status is acquired automatically by law rather than grant, and generates no subsequent documentation,” immigration officials said in a release.
They said people could apply for formal acknowledgement in the form of a letter from the immigration department.
The situation has infuriated people, who have been burning up talk-show phone lines and venting that frustration all over social media. It arises because local people born in the Cayman Islands to a Caymanian parent after 1977 have no paperwork to prove they are Caymanian by right.
People who acquire Caymanian status via long-term residency, marriage or Cabinet and other grants receive documentation, but many adult ‘heritage’ Caymanians whose right comes through descent do not necessarily have official means to prove that. The problem is compounded because people who are not necessarily Caymanian can hold a local passport and historically there have been anomalies on the voter register, so even voter ID cards are not a sure-fire way of proving status.
This has led to an increasing number of employers making local people acquire a letter of proof from immigration from applicants who are Caymanian by right, which has created significant anger and resentment. However, the situation is believed to stem from threats of, and in some cases actual, prosecution of employers who have hired people without a work permit whom they believed to be local but turned out not to be Caymanian.
In the statement, immigration officials said it was not always practical for people to produce the documentation necessary to prove Caymanian status every time they need to do so, which is why the department believes the letter solves the problem. But applicants must produce copies of relevant documentation proving that they satisfy the requirements in order to get the letter and passport stamp. This generally means that people seeking the ‘proof of status’ letter will need to produce their own birth certificate as well as one or both of their Caymanian parents, which is not always easy.
Officials also said that where necessary, an affidavit proving that the applicant’s local parents were domiciled in the Cayman Islands at the time of birth needs to be counter-signed by a notary public or a justice of the peace. They confirmed that Caymanians by right do not need to pay a fee but those who have acquired status by entitlement will need to pay the fee of $50 if they want a letter, and that there is no deadline for people to apply for the letter.
However, local people have been expressing their condemnation of the issue and fear that this is yet another attack on the rights of local people and another barrier to the recruitment of local people. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly last month, Premier Alden McLaughlin said the issue was forming part of the overhaul of the immigration law but he was unable to tell the Legislative Assembly when a solution would be adopted.
“This one is very difficult,” he said, adding that he has been in wide discussions about this because locals cannot rely on their birth certificate alone or even a passport as proof. “We have to try to devise a means of easily and simply being able to determine the status of a person,” he said, pointing to the current burdensome process to access the certificate from the chief immigration officer.
The issue is raising considerable questions about future government policy going forward when it comes to the issue of status and being Caymanian.
CNS submitted questions to the immigration department about the proposed future policies and asked about speculation that the authorities are under pressure from the UK to address questions about the rights of children born here to legal residents, but we are awaiting a response.
Additional information on the acknowledgment process, including required documents and definitions of “by right”, “by entitlement” and the continuation of entitlement, is available from the Department of Immigration website.
Category: Local News
hey fellow caymanians, just like me….the legislature is driven by the elected members? they make rules. immigration is just following what was laid before them???
This is just another example of entitled MLA ‘s imposing more layers useless and annoying bureaucracy on those least able to afford it. Our representatives need to give up their ivory tower bs, and think like those they claim to represent.
Remember, most people do not have a staff, and an office full of business machines, printers, scanners, and faxes.
They need to stop, and think about the means of the local population. Do they have access to the things they request? Probably not. Get off your lazy backsids. Give up the Marie Antionett attitude and actually do your job.
@10:53am. You hit the nail right on the head. I’m fifth generation Caymanian and I’ll be damned it I am going to apply for this Acknowledgement. Alden is well on his way convincing the world that Caymanians are idiots, they have always felt that way but he’s confirming it with this kind of crap. Maybe is just a revenue making stunt. Kmft
6.32pm Alden didn’t create this one. He was no where near the Legislative Assembly in 1977..However if you don’t want to have to get this proof jusi get a petition going requesting that no one should have to prove that they are Caymanian. . Of course that means that anyone claiming to be Caymanian would have to be accepted as Caymanian (even if they are not).
What’s stopping me saying I’m also Caymanian? Come on, think about it. It’s not Alden making you look like an idiot!
Shambles! Caymanians should not be subjected to this. Rather, holders of Cayman passports who are not Caymanian should have to relinquish those passports.
The problem is of our own making of course. A Cayman passport should NOT be issued to someone who is NOT Caymanian. Period!
The CI Govt. one-liner “a passport is just a travel document” is rubbish and leads to massive confusion.
Anyone born in Cayman with a parent from another country can apply citizenship of the parent and get a passport representing that parent’s nationality. That passport can then be stamped appropriately by CI Immigration showing their right to be in Cayman and for how long as applicable.
It is insane that holders of Cayman passports should have to “prove” they are Caymanian. It is even more insane that many people have been forced to leave Cayman after they moved here as children, travelled on a Cayman passport for most of their lives, then are told they have to apply for residency/naturalization/status after they are 18 in order to remain on island.
maybe caymanians should wear an armband with the letter C on it….
btw the C does not stand for captain or clever….
Could it be about revenue? many will have to get copies of birth certificates of parents (and sometimes grand parents) at $10 a pop, marriage certificates etc. God help you if there is a deed poll involved – that is $50 and if you don’t know the exact date of this document and they have to search, it $10 PER YEAR for the search. You could end up spending a pretty penny, which a lot of people cannot afford. Does a birth certificate give the Nationality of parents?
I’m 64 going to 65 this year and 10 years ago when I reapplied for a new passport I was told I needed extra documents. I asked like what? They said we have no proof that your father was born in Cayman and no proof that your mother was married to your father? Really, I said they are both dead. Father at 92 and mother at 80. I had to go and get a birth certificate at the Registrar of births $10 for my father. But my parents were married in Havana Cuba and my passport was out of date. Quick thinking they were divorced here so I was able to use the divorce paper. But suppose I couldn’t get that document????
If this is being done because they want to ensure that people are not working illegally, then the onus should be on the employers. They all have HR departments who should all have some knowledge of the immigration law. How hard would it be for them to request that a potential employee submit their birth certificate, their parents’ birth certificates or status certificates to determine what their status would be if born after 1977. ie; if their parents were Caymanians whether by staus or birth when they were born, then that makes them Caymanians.
That just kicks the ‘prove it’ can to someone else. Which doesn’t address the apparent issue.
A bizarre point isn’t it. So rather than prove they are Caymanian once and receive a formal acknowledgement, the poster wants to have to prove it every time they change job.
No such thing as a born and bread caymanan, everyone is from mixed decent, mostly Jamaican, Spanish so try hush,
Indeed. Everyone is an expat. It’s just a question of time.
Nope. Not born and BREAD for sure
“bread caymanan” … who dey is? never heard of them..lol
My family goes back to the first settlers of Cayman Yes we are born and breed Caymanian who are you Johnny come lately
African and British too…
Nothing Spanish in me.
speak for your self.
Bread is what you eat.
You mean bred as in being born. Breeding is what happens in procreation.
It is born and bred.
Another spin off would be the breed of people as in the cultural mix. You have spell checks people.
A nice example of internet bullying. A typo is a simple mistake easily overlooked. To think that spell check would change a correctly spelled (spelt for the Brits) word is just ignorance. Let it go people!
So just to be clear. We don’t want non-Caymanians to work without a work permit, vote or get benefits but we don’t want to have to prove that we are Caymanian to do these things? Hmm
Brilliant!
Only Caymanians can vote. If you have a voters I’d, that’s your proof that you are a Caymanian. Voters Id’s are also an official I’d issued by the same Chief Officer who is in Charge of Immigration.
What on earth would make you think they have the knowledge, experience, understanding or systems to only register Caymanians to vote?
Wrong. The rules on voter eligibility are different and some can vote but are not caymanian.
Isn’t it embarrassing that a Cayman passport holder needs a stamp in the passport to indicate that they are Caymanian?
No. Thousands of Cayman passport holders are not Caymanian, so there is nothing embarrassing about it at-all.
That’s precisely why it is embarrassing.
Why allow someone to have a Cayman passport if that person is not Caymanian?
That’s exactly the problem. A BOTC Cayman Islands passport should not be issued to people who are not Caymanian.
So 4.32 pm what does any passport represent if not citizenship? Does that mean that in Cayman, the passport does not mean citizenship? Then I ask what does it represent in Cayman. I think it is about time we put an end to this double standard that prevails here. Anywhere else in the world, if you hold a country’s passport, you are thereby a citizen of that country. We must be absolutely unique in this regard! In the USA, if you hold a green card, you have the right to work and reside. If you hold a US passport, you are an American citizen, full stop!!
Anyway, we are a British Dependent Territory, so let’s look in that direction for some form of template. If born in the UK, you are British and have the right to a UK passport. You can also hold a permit to work and reside, but it does not make you British. There are not two different levels of citizenship, but Overseas Territories citizens may apply for a UK passport, and are treated favourably. I am not a lawyer, so if any qualified legal luminary can point out any errors in what I say, I would appreciate it with humility.
The core issue is that its not a Cayman passport – its a BOTC passport.
Does this mean that there are bigger issues to face and thia is put up on front burner as a diversion tactic? Cayman? Demand that your officials get a grip on crime and other problems first. Your roads and overcriwding is a problem.
Cayman is a nightmare with serious crime and immigration issues.
Keep the Jamaicans and other foreign people out. Stop now with more over crowding issues.
A good way to fight this is by providing Caymanians with a national ID of sorts showing that by owning that ID one’s Caymanian. For others we can have residency and status cards.
Status = Caymanian
Great prelude to taxes.
Just like an old fashioned class structure!! LOL We should once and for all state for the record in Parliament what exactly Cayman’s passport actually represents and put a stop to the ridiculous “Caymanian” or “Caymanian Status” issue. It is a manufactured form of racism and discrimination and does not belong in this day and age. And I do not care a shit how many thumbs down I get, we need to grow up and demonstrate it!
And you would obtain that ID card how exactly? By providing exactly the same evidence that you would need to get the acknowledgement letter. Otherwise you can have non Caymanians obtaining the card and using it to obtain the benefits of Caymanian status- which is exactly the problem we have at the moment. So how exactly does it change the current issue?
How does someone obtain this card? The same way they get a stamp in their passport! DOH!
2:48 do you remember the reason for or voting ID card?
Shambolic—how does a jury sit if we don’t know who are Caymanians? How do we vote if we don’t know who Caymanians are…but now…after you do your civil duties strangely enough they will say…if you want employment go get this acknowledgment.
Fixing this problem requires the government to employ a team of lawyers and legal minds plus analyst to pour over the data that they do have and quickly sort out who is Caymanians and issues IDs plus a number to each Caymanian.
That will help with the national insuranc eto be introduced in the soon futur e
The voter registry is used for selecting jurors
Ahhhemmm! Fact for a change.
I blame Dart…and probably James Comey too.
Don’t forget Tony Blair
After his Windrush wittering, the silence of Whodatis on this topic is very telling.
Yep when it happens in the UK its white nationalism and anti immigrant sentiments but when it happens in Cayman *crickets chirp in the distance*
Who has proven time and time again to be just about the biggest hypocrite on this site pushing his narrative despite contrary evidence
anyone who takes him at his word is a fool
A National Digital ID Card (with a microchip which is linked to your Drivers Licence, Voters ID, airport entry card, nationality/Caymanian Status ID, etc) is the solution.
Completely agree, unfortunately a project of that scope would be impossible to achieve in Cayman. They spent several million on a fingerprint machine, something I can install in my own office and it never worked and never implemented. They cant get the parking machine at the airport to work.
How’s the licence plate project coming?
Anonymous 3:52 pm , I agree with you, but why they can’t make anything work , is because everything they do they leave all doors open for corruption . Sad but true and all our founded Fathers are rolling over in their graves because of it .
Still have the same problem of initial proof that people are complaining about.
Do all members of the LA have such confirmation letters? If not, does one know if the elected officials are in fact Caymanians – especially since the article notes that a voters ID is not sufficient proof.
you may have something there
Moses K was not born in the CI.
Nor was Tara Rivers. In fact, were her parents not living in the US when she was born? How is she Caymanian?
Neither was Kurt .
She must have been acknowledged and her parents must have been settled in Cayman when she was born.
Good. Can we see the stamp?
Correct! No one is Caymanian
I am, and have a stamp in my passport to prove it.
Nor were many from the merchant class. The vast majority were very deliberately born in the good old US of A. Many still carry their US passports just in case.
But it depends how he got status….
Isn’t this meant to be safeguarding Caymanian’s? By requiring certification that you are Caymanian when applying for a job, or education grant isn’t that weeding out everyone that isn’t entitled to the benefit? Maybe it should have been communicated better, or transitioned so that Immigration could have been geared up, but a definitive way of making sure only Caymanians get the benefits of being Caymanian is good, no?
Judging by the conversations in my work place apparently not!
Ah what’s all the fuss about? 60 years ago you were all Jamaican anyway and many more since are Honduran.
Nope, 1:45 pm. You don’t know the history of how the islands were settled.
Oh yes I do, and they didn’t come from a utopian planet called Caymania.
They originally came from all corners of Great Britain, some via Jamaica, bringing their Jamaican brethren with them. As a protectorate of Jamaica until independence it is fair to say that Cayman was in fact Jamaican, as is also fair to call Caymanians British citizens.
In the early 60’s the population of all 3 islands was barely over 10k, it wasn’t until London invented the offshore industry and tourism and the service industry followed that the population grew decade on decade. And surprise, the vast majority of those jobs were taken by foreign labour, hence the growth in inter-marriage and the ‘Caymanian’ population that cannot be defined in any one racial stereo type.
So drop the pious BS of a pure Caymanian bloodline, there’s no such thing unless you happen to be a blue iguana.
I’m a Rock Iguana. Sister Islands. There are three islands, you know.
And here in lies the lie and corruption
Most of our ancestors came from the U.K
So Caymanians have to carry a letter with them forever more to prove they are Caymanian? Only a dumbass government can come up with this crap. Why not a drivers license or national ID card?
Our Government is run by Caymanians for Caymanians. It is not possible for a non Caymanian to be elected to the L.A., even though the large expatriate population would like to be represented. If as it seems to be, that this country has gotten itself into a mess, then who do we blame?.
I think the Government of the Cayman Islands is opening up a can discrimination Law suits that they are not going to contain , all because of the Government incompetence of poor records keeping to make it a big money grab . When Government can’t give you documentation / passport that says that you are Caymanian , and you have to go back to Immigration and get a letter from Immigration verifying you are Caymanian , something is really wrong and a good Lawyer would be able to tell you better .
The garbage dump “Mount Trashmore” is among the tallest structures on Grand Cayman, and you’re worried about who is Caymanian.
Going forward, Caymanians by birth should be tattooed on the back of the neck for easy identification.
Anonymous 1:26 pm you should have yours tattooed on your forehead .
Hahahaha
From what I have seen tramp stamps are in force already. And for added measure Caymanian baby daddy 1&2&3
Papers Pleease!!! only you alden only you and Mr Cluster f#@! could F$#!& this up
Seriously folks. I am almost middle aged. The child of one Caymanian and one expat parent. I was acknowledged as having Caymanian Status from birth when I was young. Its a piece of paper and now there is no doubt or debate. Everyone in Cayman came from somewhere else, there are no indigenous peoples. No one is slapping your great great great grandwhoevers who came here on what ever boat.
You all need to stop allowing the diversions to rile you up so you don’t focus on what is taking place of greater significance in Cayman. The government knows what while you are fighting over Aunt So n So who been here since Jesus was a child, you aren’t focusing on major issues like:-
1. The port – its going ahead at a rapid pace and no one seems to have a handled on how or why
2. Who is buying up all the land on the sister islands and why?
3. The garbage isn’t being picked up and people think its because of inadvertent mismanagement when the reality is the service is being allowed to fail so that it can be privatised and profited from….guess by whom?
Every single time MAJOR events take place they come up with some diversionary tactic and everyone knows the easiest one to trapse out is nationality because we seem to think that the further back our generations go the closer to God himself we are or the more entitled to who knows what we are. WAKE UP PEOPLE.
If you had a proper long Caymanian lineage you would not say that. My guess is your family tops out at 100 years. Some of us can claim 350 and we aren’t about to agree with you that it means nothing.
What has your “proper long Caymanian lineage” entitled you to in Cayman over any other Caymanian. You missed my whole point and you didn’t even bother to address the 3 major issues which is exactly the intention of this diversionary tactic. Your long lineage will inevitably take you to another country it didn’t start in Cayman. Or did you think Tibbetts and McLaughlin were Caribbean surnames?
We must defend and protect our children Cayman from Alden and Mckeeva’s foreign agenda or we all will lose our identity?
And the best way to defend it is by proving that they’re Caymanian …
If they cannot produce the proper papers they should be charged with over staying and sent off island.
That’s what the UK said. (See ‘Windrush Generation’ PR debacle this week.)
The Windrush generation have never been the problem, it’s their feral off spring and their propensity for self entitlement, poor parenting, social breakdown, gang alignment and general bad attitude that has caused the damage to the Caribbean community in the UK.
The original immigrants were war veterans and decent people who chose a better option than the one they had been dealt.
Ring any bells?
Best to put Native Caymanians without paperwork on a reservation just like the American Indians
We shall call it “West Bay “.
Or what..poison the lot like they did the Native Americans?
That could stop crime
They could stop crime by not letting in every soul who wants to escape to paradise.
Time has now come to stand up against Alden and this PPM foreign agenda Cayman! And don’t leave he good friend Bushy too talking shite about population expansion
March,March …..
Jump back!
More bureaucracy for the sake of more fees?
More layers of paperwork to control the new immigrants?
Say what?
Caymanians already have birth certificates and passports!!
Who needs more paperwork???
Speak up Caymanians!
Whose bright idea is this?
People are angry and do you wonder why they are burning cop cars?
No respect for authority comes after repression.
Uhhhh – your politicians passed laws that say your birth certificates and passports do not mean you are Caymanian, and then they lied to you. Be angry with them. Not immigration or anyone else following the law.
Just before you get all riled up, Caymanian is not a Citizenship we are all British Overseas Territories Citizens by virtue of our connection with the UK. Caymanian is a creation of our immigration that gives “belonger rights” allowing you to vote and own businesses etc. Let’s not confuse that with a passport which is simply a travel document and being born in Cayman does not make you Caymanian otherwise any children born to one of the 26,000 transient people here on work permits would be Caymanian. Hence you need to prove that you were born here to Caymanian parents and to do that you need to provide their birth certificates along with yours. Hopefully this helps you understand the complexity of this issue in a few short sentences.
Stop being condesending. People understand. inspite of that legal definition we identify as a Caymanian.
I voted you down but only because thousands of Caymanians are not British Overseas territories Citizens. Thanks Alden and Mac for that!
2 21?
Cha! No mi son! We are natives. We are not applying. We na goin to no office to get no nu papers! This is nu rubbish!! We need nothing more. Unna say no ta more fees and paperwork.
Remember what Alden said they are here for us and to reflect the diversity of our community no threat to our way of life or identity . Remember Cayman that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have,. Free cheese is only found in rat traps Cayman!
No, this one is not very difficult Mr. McLaughlin. Most advanced nations have a system in place to deal with such things. The Cayman Islands can institute and implement such a system today. But as with most other things involving the CIG, disorganization and inefficiency seems to be the norm rather than the exception.
Maybe you all should follow the ways the gays and LGBT get their way! Take the government to court instead of being poorly tempered slaves. Your kid are the ones populating northward prison while being replaced by blonde hair blue eyed foreign ones. once they outnumber you they will outvote you, then everything you knew is gone.
If anyone is curious what a xenophobe sounds like…see above!
The blond hair blue eyed bit sounds more racist than just xenophobe – as well as being massively out of line with the population statistics.
But, isn’t that the plan? What took you so long.
Thank god, then we’ll get stuff done and representation for all residents who contribute, not just those who claim rights with no responsibility.
Oh please, the white population is way below the black/mixed population.
Too funny, Caymanians getting a taste of their own immigration madness
so true!
You people are hilarious. Remember the immigration nightmares of your own home country? If you can’t remember, it’s probably because it didn’t effect you. Now that you have to jump through immigration hoops, now suddently immigration rules are unfair. Boo hoo. You packed your white privilege and brought it with you but it’s not working. Poor you.
Except in this case its Caymanians that are protesting, not the expats…
@Fred – I’d bet that back jolly old England, you’d be with the group screaming to keep to throw the immigrants out.
Not from “jolly old England” but don’t let get in the way of your assumptions, or actually address the point. instead of attacking my supposed bias.
Racist much?
@9:09 pm – How is it racist to recognize that white privilege exists?
“To the privileged, equality feels like oppression.” – Anon.
What am I missing here? How is 12:37pm’s comment racist?
If you don’t believe that white privilege exists, give this a read.
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/starbucks-black-men-arrests-gma.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news)
I thought we were in Cayman not United States. “White privilege” is what lazy people say when people are working hard for their money.
@ 4:59. People who deny that white privilege exists are people with white privilege. Genius.
Entitled much? Tell me what a privilege it was for my father to be working on a Merchant Marine ship with bombs dropping all around him while he attempted to sleep in a life jacket. If that’s a privilege, you can have it.
Money makes the Cayman economy go around or up and down.
But fair pay and equal opportunity for employment of caymanians have been ignored for decades. Are such rights not referred to in the constitution too?
If the advancement of the economic livelihood of all Caymanians is not included in the fight for the acknowledgement of lifestyle choice, then Caymanians will only be acknowledged for a right to marry the same sex but not the right to live in a fair economic state.
Caymanians boast about the country’s economics, yet have no share in it. The Caymanian economic “marvel” is exactly that: talk, ads, speeches, sitting in an observatory in awe at the prosperity of others.
How does it make sense to rejoice at the economic marvel from which you do not benefit from or share in? Happiness in this nothingness is the result of the conditioning of the Caymanian people through years of brainwash.
We have nothing- no land, no jobs, not even citizenship (this has to be proven too).
Ultimately, all Caymanians must share in the economic pie. Government should be fighting for the legal precedent that achieves this through fair pay and equal opportunity for employment. But it is said that government only pays public lip service to this area … while actively fighting against caymanian employment rights in a highly effective manner through political brainwash and its own internal policies and conduct.
The legal acknowledgement of a lifestyle choice may bring change for some but these winners will still continue to be marginalised, disadvantaged, openly discriminated against and left unemployed, simply because they are Caymanian. How much then are we advanced as a nation? Or is it just the continued outcome which is the advancement of a few and rights for a few?
Ah, the old “you give us all your money and we’ll do nothing for it” argument. There are plenty of Caymanians who got educated, or got lucky and who run thriving businesses here…but you don’t seem to be counting their cash.
Government does not know who is Caymanian from who is not. They have so mismanaged the issue, they can no longer tell who is supposed to be sharing the pie.
There is no more room at the trough.
Incompetency no other way to describe it, as usual no one held accountable. Its all coming true, now they are turning against their own using Immigration.
This problem stems from two things the Politicians did not have the guts to do when drawing up the Constitution because so many foreign born persons could vote.
1. The Constitution does not define that a Caymanian is someone born of at least one Caymanian born Parent or one Caymanian born Grandparent as was recommended when Constitution was being drawn up.
2. There is no distinction between Caymanians and Status holders as there should be.
Therefore Caymanians by descent now find themselves in the unenviable position of no longer being first in their own country. In fact not even second class.
Also Govt does not owe anything to the so called ghost children most from one country as their parents knew how to beat the system but not how to be lawful in another man’s coumtry.
Ummm, it is not possible to be Caymanian by descent without having been vetted and approved by immigration and granted status by the board, and so no acknowledgement would be required of those persons (section 22(2)).
No, thanks. I was born after 1977 and will NOT be applying for acknowledgement from Immigration. My Caymanian family goes back about seven generations on BOTH sides. Government better figure it out because it is ANOTHER outright INSULT to Caymanians.
Deportation order soon come!
Better stop going to work. Your employment may be a crime.
Haven’t had a problem yet. It’s only a crime when you are not Caymanian which I very much am. Like I said my family goes back several generations and we’re were all born here.
you say you are Caymanian? Prove it!
Hint: the only legal proof is acknowledgement.
You know how they verify acknowledgement? Your birth certificate and your parents birth certificates showing you and they were born here and resident here when you were born. I have that. Not requesting any acknowledgment. Thanks.
I should have said, resident here and were Caymanian at the time of said birth.
How does a birth certificate prove residence (or domicile?)
Being born here doesn’t make you Caymanian anymore than the child of the Jamaican helper born at the GT Hospital last night. That child’s birth certificate says they were born in Cayman, does that make them Caymanian? And in 17 years when that child becomes an adult and has a child born here should they automatically become Caymanian. No and hopefully you will see why you being born here proves that you are Caymanian.
Same for me. My family goes back many generations to the time when Grand Cayman was inhospitable and it was only Cayman Brac that people live upon. I laugh at the idea of a deportation attempt being tried on me, a Caymanian with no other citizenship… Good luck on that one!
Prove it.
I have no other citizenship either. Never even had the desire to apply for a British Passport.
I also laugh at the idea of deportation.
They need to fix the problem with giving Cayman Islands passports to non-Caymanians and giving the right to vote to persons who are not Caymanian instead of creating more hassle because of the collective government screw up.
This is the evidence of the serious lack of understanding. Because you didn’t apply for a British Passport doesn’t change the fact you are a British Overseas Territories Citizen, “Caymanian” is not a citizenship. Keep whatever passport you want its only a travel document.
It in fact may appear that it is a lack of serious understanding… However, I do in fact, understand your point. My patriotism says that I am Caymanian despite the legalities surrounding that issue. A British Overseas Teritory Citizen is a construct just as Caymanians contructed the idenification of being a Caymanian.
Caymanian is an identity. British Overseas Territory Citizen is not.
It isn’t actually a Caymanian Passport, it is a BOTC passport, therefore PR are eligible to apply for one if they get Naturalised.
It isn’t exactly hard to prove you are Caymanian, get a copy of your birth certificate and your parents. If they were also born here, then their certificates should be easily obtainable – you can apply for copies online – they are $10 each and it is always a good idea to have a copy kept safe somewhere. All I hear from my fellow countrymen is negative this and negative that – stop complaining about such a trivial thing and just do it.
No one is denying your nationality, it just makes it easier for everyone (employers/employees) if you have the proof
By far the most sensible comment I have seen on here.
Bottom line is: It is not mandatory at this point to apply for the acknowledgement, however, it is strongly advised in case someone (employers mainly) ask you to prove that you are indeed a “Caymanian”
One could be an expat that has PR and was naturalized, and still obtain a Passport like those that were born here to two Caymanian parents. Does that make that person a Caymanian? NO, it most certainly does not. It makes he/she a PR holder that has obtained a travel document due to them being naturalized as a BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORY CITIZEN!!
If you showed up to get a job and that person was also shortlisted, you are both holders of (what so many of you like to call) a “Caymanian passport”, isn’t it better to have the acknowledgement to show that “hey, I am the CAYMANIAN here’, not the PR holder that also has a “Cayman Passport”?
Another example is what if that PR holder’s child applies for a government scholarship, and so does your daughter or son. Having that acknowledgement should only make YOUR childs’ application easier because they wont have to prove their immigration status.
The choice is still yours, either you apply for the acknowledgement, or you don’t.
And if you choose not to, please stop fanning the flame with the entitled attitude so many of you like to bark. Yes, this is our country, and yes, we should stand up for what is right for US, but becoming enraged over something you can either choose to do or don’t do is not what your energy should be used for.
How does a non Caymanian acquire a BOT passport – Cayman Islands? I don’t understand. Squash this and there’s no problem.
Not possible, unless you think we can change the BNA.
So did the Chagos people you keep propping up Alden and his bullshit diversity agenda internment camp or ghetto then automatic displacement.
Follow the law for want to be PR holders, If you fail to get status then you have 90 days to settle your affairs and get off the island .
so true !!!! your so right in everything you said
Why is the date in March 1977 significant? There is nothing “Cayman-related’ which identifies that date. Is this something relating to the UK? Was Enoch Powell or the National Front involved? Is this is any way related to the present situation with Commonwealth immigrants from the 1950’s & 1960’s being “expelled” from the UK?
The fact that this very serious matter hasn’t been broadly and openly published by Government sources suggests something fishy!
Answers are needed!
Answers only come from intelligence. You will not find any here.
March 1977 is a date prescribed by the Caymanian Protection Law (Revised), a piece of Cayman Legislation that was passed 40 years ago, and routinely ignored ever since (until perhaps now).
lol
I wonder how many politicians have been acknowledged? I assume all as you have to prove you are Caymanian to run for office, don’t you?
How do people register to vote if they have not been acknowledged?
Good point why is a Voter Registration Card not adequate proof of Status?!?
Because the people responsible for issuing voters cards seem to have used their own made up definition of who is a Caymanian with a result that non Caymanians have been and are registered to vote. Even scarier, it seems non Caymanians have actually voted, and they may have done so in sufficient numbers to call into question the validity of election results.
I cannot believe there are no comments as of yet…..
i have a nice job which i plan to hang on to until retirement some 30 odd years from now.
i have my Cayman passport and my UK passport as well. So whats the big fuss all about? all the ppl that are calling in to the shows with their “frustrations”, have they actually been affected? Classic mountain out a molehill reaction.
What gives you the right to live and work in Cayman?
I was born and raised here, after 1977 and to two Caymanian parents. The only place they can send me to is my yard!
How do we (or your employer) know you or your Caymanian parents are Caymanian? Have they been acknowledged?
well the parents would not have to as presumably they were born before March 1977. Also if this person was born and raised after 1977, however he/she would have needed to supply both parents birth certificates in order to get both a British & Caymanian passport and Status certificates (well I did)
Being born before March 1977 does not automatically make you Caymanian. If it did we would have to welcome another 2 billion new Caymanians.
Thank you Penny, seems the armchair experts on here are not as smart as they think.
If Immigration and General Registry merged their databases then most of these issues would be resolved. It baffles me that General Registry doesn’t provide Immigration with a list of births and deaths.
THANK YOU!!!
You hit the nail on the head GR 10:26 am! I swear it come in like government is on a never ending roundabout of stupidity with all the obvious answers in front of their face and they want the entire country to follow suit! SMDH
Would also help if the Hospital were included in that information as well. When a female gets married and goes tot he trouble of getting their name changed, places like the Government hospital should have your new name.
Can’t get parking to work at the airport, so how could we expect that
” They confirmed that Caymanians by right do not need to pay a fee but those who have acquired status by entitlement will need to pay the fee of $50 if they want a letter, and that there is no deadline for people to apply for the letter.”
I thought it is not possible to acquire status by entitlement without paying a $50 fee. The law appears clear on that. Unlike becoming Caymanian by birth or by right, becoming Caymanian by entitlement is not automatic. It requires an application.
I get that but will never understand the right vs entitlement thing. These words mean the same thing except in Cayman where they have different legal definitions, apparently. This is part of the overall stupidity of the whole British citizen, belonger, BOT citizen, born before this and after that bullshit.
How about NOT issuing passports to people who are NOT proven to be Caymanian in the first place. Make the acknowledgment/proof of lineage exercise occur when attempting to get a passport. We are so backwards its sad.
Read the UK’s Nationalities Act, 1981 and the CI Immigration Law (2015 Revision). You get the Cayman passport for being a BOTC not Caymanian resulting in a number of non Caymanians carrying the Cayman passport. On the flip side you will find Caymanians that are not BOTC registered who are not entitled to a Cayman passport. What a mess, it must be one of the few places in the world where you cannot rely on your passport as proof of citizenship.
You could if you were acknowledged! There would be a stamp in it saying you are Caymanian.
Because it’s not a real country and there is no such thing as a Caymanian.
Maybe a new citizenship title will fix the mess : ” British Overseas Territorian ” …..
Tell me where you’re from and I’ll tell you why your nationality doesn’t exist too
But you would still have to prove your lineage. Which the apparently the problem. People seem to feel that they should be taken at their word or, that as true Caymanian applicants dealing with true Caymaian immigration officers, the later should already know who the former’s mama is. – Trust, but verify, is not in our lexicon.
My lineage can be verified. I just refuse to apply for an acknowledgment as it is insulting. My birth certificate along with my parents, my passport or voter’s ID should be more than sufficient but it is not due to the laws enacted by unthinking politicians.
Fake passports I see illegal activities every Home has their rules laws are for lawless
Oh dear, Who must be apoplectic…he wasn’t happy with the British mistake (for Jamaicans strangely) but its OK for CIG to treat its citizens that way…classic. As a point of interest, do the people in this category have a vote? If so, they are on the electoral register…one would think that’s enough..if it is correct…
Unfortunately there are non Caymanians on the electoral register, but the authorities seem to be trying to keep that secret.
My vote is for the Lord Jesus Christ, and the government shall be upon His shoulder. Every one needs to repent.
Who he fa?
Born out of wedlock. Requires DNA test to answer that.
It is fascinating that the Minister responsible seems to have only become interested in this only when a family member was forced through the process, despite the issue confronting people for decades.
I often become interested in things when they involve me.