Tag: immigration department
Ringleaders jailed in immigration bribery
(CNS): Marcus Alexander, a former senior immigration officer, was given a four-year prison term on Thursday, following his conviction in a bribery scheme relating to the immigration English language test. Alexander, who continues to deny the accusations, was one of nine people who were found guilty and one of three men jailed for substantial periods […]
Corruption case wraps up with 3 more convictions
(CNS): Three women, one of them a former immigration officer, were all convicted of corruption related offenses Thursday, wrapping up a long-running case into bribery at the immigration department relating to English language testing. After three Grand Court trials, nine of the twelve charged in the bribery conspiracy have been convicted, including several former immigration […]
Immigration boss cleared in 3-year case
(CNS): Jeannie Lewis (59), who was the assistant chief immigration officer for compliance when she was arrested three years ago, was cleared of all charges on Friday. Magistrate Kirsty-Ann Gunn acquitted Lewis after the crown failed to convince her that Lewis knew her sons were dealing drugs from her home and that an illegal immigrant, Antonio Bullard, […]
Nine Cubans land in Brac as 18 return to sea
(CNS): A boat carrying 27 Cuban migrants arrived in waters around Cayman Brac at the weekend. However, it has since left the island with 18 people still aboard returning to its perilous voyage, the Department of Immigration (DoI) has confirmed. Before the boat left, eight men and one woman opted to disembark here and those […]
PR review rate grows, end date in sight
(CNS): The pace of reviewing the backlog of permanent residency applications by both the immigration staff working on the submissions as well as the Cayman Status and Permanent Residency Board members has picked up to 50 in one week. If those involved can maintain that pace, the more than 1,000 applications could be cleared in […]
Board to re-start PR applications next week
(CNS): Waide DaCosta, the chair of the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board (CSPR), has confirmed that next week he and his members will begin reviewing the backlog of PR applications, which stalled after a change in the law in 2013. Following almost three and a half years of various problems that prevented all but […]
Premier to take on immigration challenge
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin said he hoped that before the end of this year he will have been able to merge the work permit application process with a human resource agency that will deal with all employment related matters in the Cayman Islands. Fulfilling a campaign promise that he said all of the coalition partners […]
More officials arrested in immigration corruption case
(CNS): Two more public officials have been arrested in connection with the ongoing corruption investigation into the immigration department. A statement released by the Anti-Corruption Commission Wednesday said that this morning its own investigators along with RCIPS officers picked up a man from the Bodden Town area and woman from Spotts Newlands, both aged 42, […]
Immigration law a problem, admits premier
(CNS Election): The leader of the Progressives is increasingly indicating that resolving the problems surrounding immigration legislation will form a central part of his government’s agenda if he gets a second chance to lead a PPM administration. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who has headed up the home affairs ministry over the last four years that includes immigration, […]
PPM plans to take work permits from immigration
(CNS): If re-elected to government next month, the new PPM administration will be taking work-permit decisions away from the immigration department and putting them in the hands of the employment ministry with a new human resources authority. Speaking at the Progressives’ George Town meeting on Saturday night, Premier Alden McLaughlin said that if re-elected, the […]
CIG challenged by PR backlog
(CNS): Officials from immigration said they will decide permanent residency applications within 30 days of receiving final submissions from applicants and will begin with the oldest first. But government has admitted that it has not yet completed its “plan” that will allow what will be a challenging process to recommence. “Given the number of applications […]
