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IIn what amountsto good news to those eagerly awaiting how many will become citizens,Government has decided to grant a quota for ...
270 Status: More Coming
The Governmentof the Cayman Islands has set the quota for 2002 with the pledgeto the people of Cayman that a complete reform of ImmigrationLaw will be dealt with this year.
Honorable McKeeva Bush, leader of GovernmentBusiness, announced that the immigration quota for this year isnow fixed in accordance with the provisions of section 18(5) ofthe Immigration Law, 2001 Revision. The quota for grants undersection 17(1) for residence of a decade or more is set at 150while the quota for grants under Section 17(4) for naturalizationonly is set at 120.
"In selecting the quota for those grantsof status that have traditionally been subject to a restrictionin numbers, the Government took into consideration a number offactors, including significant population growth over the decades,the customary annual quota issued by previous Governments, aswell as the growth, in the numbers of persons currently qualifiedto apply for a grant," explained Mr. Bush.
The 2002 quota is not extended to addressthe larger issue of Caymanian Status in the context of ImmigrationReform and the establishment of a comprehensive short, mediumand long term Immigration Policy for the Cayman Islands. The Administrationsays it is actively reviewing the current Immigration Law andRegulations in the light of input from the Immigration ReviewTeam, Select Committees of Legislative Assembly, Vision 2008 andother relevant sources in order to formulate a framework for reform.
The Government acknowledges that there arestill 6,000 who may be qualified to apply by reason that theyhave been resident here for more than 10 years but they admitthat the addition of 6,000 citizens could create some distainamong Caymanians with such issues as the increase of the electorateby 50 percent.
"The issue of long-term residency hasbeen a very sore point for all these many years. Caymanians feelthat giving permanency to those born on foreign soil would putus at a disadvantage," said Bush. "However, we mustnot forget that these are people have been living here for aslong as 10 to 30 years."
Mr. Bush said that he also recognizes thatlong-term residents desire to have permanency in their lives afterhaving spent 10 to 30 years in Cayman. "International obligationsthat bind the Cayman Islands as an Overseas Territory of the UKis forcing us to change the old policy of 'do nothing',"explained Bush. "Furthermore the global economy is forcingus to change. My Government's duty is to ensure that somethingis done and the right balance is achieved and that decision madeare fair and equitable."
Despite the Government's history of functioningas an autonomous government, independent from British rule, thereis the European Community Mandate that states that if any memberof the European community can prove residency in any other Europeancountry for, at a minimum, 10 years, then they are qualified domicileresidents and therefore should be granted citizenship.
In an attempt to ensure such equitable measures,Mr. Bush ensures that the Immigration Reform Policy will be madeavailable to the public for consultation by August. Recommendationswill be documented and the final draft will be brought beforethe House by November for conclusion to this quandary.
Beyond what is fair to Caymanians and long-termresidents, the Government acknowledges that the Cayman Islandscould easily see a rapid resuscitation of the economy by grantingcitizenship to these applicants. Without the fear of denial ofwork permits or retraction of status, these "lifers"would buy homes, purchase cars, donate to grassroots initiatives,and take personal, legal pride in everything from keeping up theirlawns to taking part in neighborhood restoration initiatives.