Cayman Islands government unveils sweeping immigration reform bill

 

The Cayman Islands has released a bill with its planned immigration law amendments, which the public has until mid-November to respond to. 

 

A statement by government said the sweeping immigration reforms are designed to realign the system with the priorities of Caymanians.

 

Among the amendments is the extension to 15 years for the timeframe in which a person married to or in a civil partnership with a Caymanian or permanent resident has to hold their Residency and Employment Rights Certificate (RERC) before they can apply for naturalisation or permanent registry.

 

The proposed amendments include extending the length of time a person has lived in Cayman from 15 to 20 years and from five years to 10 years after being naturalised before they can apply for the right to be Caymanian.

 

The amendments also include the introduction of term limits for civil servants.

 

The proposed reforms also state that work permit holders will not be permitted to change employers within the first two years of their permit being granted, in an effort to curb job hopping.

 

A permit holder would be required to leave Cayman for at least a year before being allowed to apply for another permit.