Labour Minister Says Too Many Individuals Qualify To Become Caymanians Too Quickly. Minister Proposes Immigration Rule Changes.
Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Alric Lindsay
In the Second Sitting of the Fourth Meeting of the 2023-24 Session of Parliament today, July 23, 2024, Labour Minister Dwayne Seymour highlighted Government proposals that would make it harder for people to obtain naturalisation, citizenship and permanent residence.
Citizenship & Naturalisation Proposals
Explaining the proposals for citizenship and naturalisation, the Labour Minister said:
… we are at the tail end of drafting significant amendments to the Immigration Transition act to address the overwhelming concerns… that too many individuals qualify to become Caymanian too quickly.
Key provisions include qualification period for naturalization.
We are extending the period that an individual must be married to a Caymanian before they can qualify for a naturalization and we are also working to increase the period in which persons must remain married before they can become Caymanian.
These changes will help to ensure that not only those with genuine long term commitments can attain this status post marriage.
Changes to permanent residence
Turning to permanent residence, the Labour Minister explained that new rules will be introduced to address situations where “individuals can continue to possess permanent residency if their marriage to a Caymanian or a PR holder ends.”
Examining points for permanent residency, the Labour Minister said, “The Permanent Residency Points review committee is finalizing work on the PR points committee to ensure that fewer people qualify for PR and that those who do are making positive, lasting contributions to the Cayman Islands.”
Rollover and term limits for foreigners in the civil service
The Labour Minister then turned the discussion to foreign workers employed by the Government.
He said, “We are working to include provisions for term limits for those employed by the government under the term “civil servant,” bringing them in parity with [the] private sector as it relates to rollover.
However, this change may not happen simultaneously with other proposals because the Deputy Governor is expected to first “study the impact of term limits on the civil service and propose recommendations on mitigations.”
Caymanians and persons seeking permanent residence, naturalisation and citizenship now await the publication of the draft bills amending the relevant immigration acts. Once published in the Cayman Islands Gazette, the public may have an opportunity to review and comment on the proposed changes.
