Tag: HSM Chambers
Number of work permit holders reaches new record
(CNS): After a slight decline at the end of last year, the number of work permit holders in the Cayman Islands, as of 11 March, reached a new record high of 36,972. According to a freedom of information request made by local attorneys HSM, this is an increase of 1,529 new permit holders since the […]
‘Immigration storm’ as permit holders top 36,500
(CNS): As the third labour minister in six months takes over the evermore challenging portfolio, local immigration attorneys are warning of an “immigration storm”. The backlog of permanent residency and status applications continues to grow, presenting a legal headache for the government even as new workers arrive daily, with the number of work permit holders […]
866 non-Caymanian kids attending CIG schools
(CNS) UPDATED re placement of local children: A freedom of information request by local law firm HSM Chambers revealed that there are currently 866 non-Caymanian children in government schools. According to the statistics released by the Department of Education Services (DES), 689 of those students were admitted in the last three years. Around a quarter […]
PR refusals unlikely to stick, say lawyers
(CNS): Many of the points-based applications for permanent residency that have been refused over the last year are likely to be overturned on appeal because the process leading to those decisions remains flawed, according to Nick Joseph of HSM, which specialises in immigration work. As WORC tackles the application backlog administratively, Joseph says that those […]
Number of work permit holders exceeds 36,000
(CNS): There are currently 36,049 work permit holders in the Cayman Islands, another new record that is nevertheless increasing every day by around 12 new arrivals. The latest statistics released by Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) on Friday show that the number of expatriate workers has increased by almost 1,900 since February.
Lawyer urges gov’t not to stop PR process
(CNS): Given the number of issues impacting WORC and the local immigration system following the change in ministers and the recent appeal court ruling, local attorney Nick Joseph is urging the government not to pause the processing of permanent residency applications. With delays already mounting, he said the issues emerging over the last few weeks […]
Court ruling finds PR system breaches BoR
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government’s troubles with the permanent residency system got a whole lot worse on Thursday when the Court of Appeal declared that the Immigration Act is incompatible with section 9 of the Bill of Rights, which deals with family and private life. Two individuals whose PR applications were denied over insufficient points […]
PR backlog mounts due to sham marriage focus
(CNS): The backlog of permanent residency applications based on length of stay continues to grow as officials focus their attention on the problem of sham marriages. The majority of PR applications are by work permit holders or residents who have been here for eight years and apply via the points system, but the government’s priority […]
Labour minister denies formal freeze on PR grants
(CNS): The minister responsible for labour has denied allegations by a local law firm that a moratorium on permanent residency grants is in place, even though no applications for residency appear to have been approved by the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board based on points for more than a year. Chris Saunders told CNS […]
Family rights trump ex-con’s deportation
(CNS): A case decided in the Grand Court last month could have lasting implications for the immigration department’s ability to deport people convicted of crimes. Justice Richard Williams found that a Jamaican national, who was the getaway driver in a 2013 supermarket robbery, should not be deported because of his right to a family life. […]
Miller urges medical debt write-off for over 60s
(CNS): Ezzard Miller, the representative for North Side, is calling on the Government of National Unity to write off medical debts for Caymanians over 60 on low incomes. Speaking on behalf of his own constituents, he asked government to extend the generosity it has shown to indebted drivers over vehicle licences to elderly members of […]
