Keeping PR if off-island for a year

| 29/10/2018

If you leave with permanent residency do you have to start over if you ever return? Can special circumstances be considered, like your mother is in her 80’s and you wanted to spend some time with her and she lives outside Cayman?


Ask Auntie, CNS Local Life, Caymanian statusAuntie’s answer: You do not have to start the process over but you will have to make your case to the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency (CSPR) Board to retain your permanent residency.

A Department of Immigration official pointed out that Section 38(1) of the Immigration Law (2015 Revision) says, “The Board or the Chief Immigration Officer may, in respect of any person who has been granted permission to reside permanently in the Islands, revoke such permission where- (o) he has been ordinarily resident outside the Islands continuously for a period of one year or more.”

In your case, what this means is that if you are off-island for at least a year, upon your return (if you choose to come back) you would need to provide a letter to the CPSR Board detailing why you were away for so long. The board would then decide whether you would be allowed to continue to possess permanent residency.

The law mentioned above can be found on the CNS Library

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Comments (6)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Just come back a week or two every six months, or say you’re studying like Tara rivers.

  2. Anon says:

    What about those who obtained Status. Where not even here at the time and have not returned since the issuing of. That is outrageous.

  3. Anonymous says:

    The response misses the point that fees will have to be paid anyway, and if they are not, PR will be revoked on that basis. Being away for a whole year will also likely prevent naturalization, which could mean it becomes impossible to become Caymanian for years. Someone in this situation should probably try to get naturalized and still be able to call Cayman home, even while they are away.

    • Anonymous says:

      Unless they are away for more than 5 years at a time and then anyone can lose status.