Tag: Nick Joseph
Year opens with a drop of over 1,000 permit holders
(CNS): According to the latest statistics released by WORC, there was a significant drop in the number of work permit holders over the final quarter of last year. Since September, when there were a record-breaking 36,501 individual permit holders in the Cayman Islands, the number has fallen, for the first time since the pandemic, by […]
Over 1,000 people waiting for PR and status decisions
(CNS): The new Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board could be facing five new applications for the Right to be Caymanian every weekday for the next decade, based on the current number of people qualifying following years of widespread exemptions from term limits and the lowering of barriers, local lawyers are warning. There is now […]
‘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 […]
Mr Benson’s Label and the importance of being Caymanian
Nick Joseph writes: Long story short: In 1959, Castro assumed control of Cuba. In 1969, Pindling assumed control of the Bahamas and led them to independence in 1973. In 1962, Jamaica became independent and in 1972, Manley assumed leadership. Capital and human flight from those countries ensued, with “brain-drain” exacerbating very serious pain (and for […]
Solid foundation to becoming Caymanian
Nick Joseph writes: A recent article extolling the real problems faced by many in demonstrating that they are in fact (and remain) Caymanian — and emphasising that the law as written created some truly mind-bending scenarios — seems to have elicited significant comment and discussion. Some of the commentary acknowledged what was said, and then […]
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 […]
Schrödinger’s Caymanians
Nick Joseph writes: A longstanding issue is the simple question: Who is a Caymanian? With many different options and processes for achieving (and maintaining) Caymanian status, widespread confusion has caused whole aspects of the Immigration (Transition) Act (and other laws in the Cayman Islands) to be almost incapable of proper application. This is not a […]
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 […]
Is the PR history and culture test fit for purpose?
Nick Joseph writes: For many years, persons seeking to obtain permanent residence in the Cayman Islands have taken a history and culture test. It started as a mechanism to attempt to measure a person’s assimilation into the Caymanian community. Being able to hum a verse of “Munzie Boat” and understanding that “soldiers” wear shells, not […]
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 […]
