Laws

Fishing ban in the works for non-Caymanians
(CNS): Cabinet has approved the development of new legislation to prohibit non-Caymanians from harvesting any marine life from Cayman’s waters, with limited exceptions for regulated catch-and-release fishing, according to a release from the Ministry of Health, Environment, and Sustainability. This proposal forms part of a broader effort to protect marine biodiversity and preserve fishing resources […]

LRC working to deliver on referendum results
(CNS): The Law Reform Commission is examining how the Cayman Islands Government can deliver on the results of the referendum in relation to the ‘yes’ votes for a national lottery and the decriminalisation of consumption and possession of small amounts of ganja. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and other ministries are exploring ways to assist […]

JCPC affirms governor’s power in civil partnership case
(CNS): The passage of the Civil Partnership Act by the previous governor, Martyn Roper, in 2020 was constitutional, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London has found, securing the future of the law and the hundreds of partnerships that now exist. The ruling also clarifies the governor’s use of section 81 of the […]

Planning minister finally sees need to move WM setbacks
(CNS): After four years at the helm of planning, Minister Jay Ebanks has finally accepted the pressing need to address the massively inadequate high-water mark setbacks for development in the planning regulations. Before he was ousted from the office of premier by his PACT colleagues, Wayne Panton said he wanted to address the issue, but […]

CIG tightens virtual asset regime ahead of FATF review
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has now published two of the bills approved by Cabinet earlier this month, designed to further modernise the jurisdiction’s virtual asset regime ahead of the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 5th Round Mutual Evaluation of the jurisdiction’s anti-money laundering, counter-financing of terrorism and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework.

Cabinet begins work revising offshore legislation
(CNS): At its first Cabinet meeting held on 21 May, the new coalition government approved drafting instructions for a long list of amendments to laws and regulations, according to a summary of the meeting released by government officials on Wednesday. The bulk of the changes relate to financial services, though amendments were also approved for […]

UK court rejects CICA PR point system declaration
(CNS): The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London has found that the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal (CICA) was wrong when it made an “entirely abstract and theoretical” declaration that the point system used to determine permanent residency applications here is incompatible with the Bill of Rights. In an unusual theoretical case, Attorney […]

Detailed commentary on the Immigration White Paper
Nick Joseph writes: I consider that a wholesale updating of the immigration regime and the legislation and regulations governing it is long overdue. Unfortunately, the Immigration White Paper does not deal with many of the pressing longstanding issues and otherwise falls well short of its potential. I made a public statement on the White Paper […]

Ganja and gambling debates lose out to cruise fight
(CNS): As the battle over the referendum question on the development of cruise berthing facilities reaches fever pitch, a week from Election Day, debates on the other two questions — about the introduction of a national lottery and the decriminalisation of the use and small possession of ganja — have been almost non-existent.

Lower stamp duty comes into effect for Caymanians
(CNS): Local people looking to buy their first or even second home can now look forward to enjoying a lower stamp duty rate than non-Caymanians and overseas owners. The regulations that paved the way for the cut were gazetted on 2 February and are now in effect. The change stems from a private member’s motion […]

Changes made as beneficial ownership regime reworked
(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly presented changes to beneficial ownership legislation to parliament when it met for the last time before the elections. While the Beneficial Ownership Transparency (Amendment) Act, 2024 was passed less than a year ago, the government continues to rework the law to help shape this delicate new regime that allows increasing access […]