Monday, June 19, 2006

Honourable Kurt Tibbetts, Leader of Government Business

On 16 June Leader of Government Business, Hon Kurt Tibbetts revealed that the much talked about Immigration Points System - a process of assessment through which applications for Permanent Residency are evaluated - has been amended and "a new Point System is in place."

Mr Tibbetts, speaking at a Cabinet Media Briefing, said the Immigration Department was already using the system as the one previously in place was not creating a level playfield.

The issue of the old system was clearly a concern which residents had raised when Franz Manderson, Chief Immigration Officer, had chaired a meeting in the Swamp area earlier this year.

Mr Manderson had explained how points were earned, and what were considered "deductible points" items.

He explained that applicants earned points based on a range of criteria such as occupation, skills, financial standing, Caymanian relationships or ties, and others.

He however said that the law made room to deduct points for unsound character and poor physical or mental health. He said that another area for which points could be deducted was demographic origin.

He said that this option was placed in the law to "ensure a balance of applicants from different areas."

Discussions at that meeting revealed that deductible points for demographic origin had been a troubling one for a long time but Mr Manderson said the government has not given him any directions to deduct points because of nationality.

When Mr Tibbetts confirmed the new system was in place on Friday he was not able however, to provide details of the new system without the assistance of the relevant documents and Immigration personnel.

Mr Tibbetts said that it had been put in place as a policy directive and that was why it had not been publicised, but put directly into use.

Mr Tibbetts did say though that areas needed more balance such as the area of income earning capacities as a criterion.

He said that with that rule, it allowed for so many persons of one profession, and not many others in another.

"We can't say we will have all doctors and lawyers, and, at the same time we can't say we will have all construction workers. But what is important in that regard is that one must be able to sustain oneself and family, as integration into the society takes place."

Apart from the Points System Mr Tibbetts also spoke about concessions.

"We recognise that there are people who have been here more than eight years and have not applied for Permanent Residency for any of a number of reasons," he said.

For those who missed the "window of opportunity," who are on a fixed term work permit there will still be a chance to work throughout the PR application process.

Mr Tibbetts said this type of concession was one item of proof that, "no one is making any attempt to discriminate or create hardships for anyone."

In March Hon Alden McLaughlin, Minister of Education had spoken about "an interim measure to alleviate what is transpiring" in relation to the Rollover Immigration policy and the negative effects that it was having on some operations and persons across the Islands.

Mr McLaughlin had discussed the matter at length and revealed that the upcoming measure would deal with persons "who really did not know what was happening to them."

On Friday Mr Tibbetts detailed the Immigration Law Review process.

"We recognise that this is an emotive issue and that we will never be able to satisfy everybody," he said adding that the Immigration Review Board had spent "countless hours" on the Review and also brought the news that there were just about two more meetings to go before the entire Review would be considered complete.

Speaking about work involved and the manpower needed to do it, Mr Tibbetts also revealed that the number of members for the Permanent Residency & Status Board; the Work Permit Board; and, the Business Staffing Plan Board, had been increased to meet the workload demand and facilitate members' busy schedules. He said that the quorum required for meetings would remain the same.

Mr Tibbetts said that all efforts were being made to have the review document come before the House in the July 2006 sitting and that to speed up all connected processes, sections of the review had already been passed on to the Law Reform Commission so that work on the draft Bill could continue while the Board was completing the review.

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