Ask Auntie, CNS Local Life, Caymanian status

I’m a British national working on a ship with three months onboard and three at home. I have a place on island that I want to move permanently into. While I can stay for three months on a visitor visa (and I believe six at the discretion of the immigration officer), is there any sort of longer-term temporary visa (I’m fairly sure I would not be classed as a person of independent means) or a particular visa for my vocation? My job is such that I have to work onboard a ship, I’m not qualified for anything else so is there any form of PR for non-super rich people?


Auntie’s answer: Surprisingly (at least I was surprised), this is not the first question I have received from a non-Caymanian seaman inquiring about living permanently in Cayman. The other query came from the spouse of a Caymanian, however, so your situation is different.

You are right that under the Immigration Law (2015 Revision), anyone who is not a prohibited migrant may be given permission to stay as a visitor for up to six months, with possible extensions at the discretion of the chief immigration officer.

However, it doesn’t look like there is a category under which you would be eligible to live here permanently. A Department of Immigration official explained that under the Immigration (Landing of Persons) Directions, 2014 a visitor can be granted permission to stay for up to six months at a time if he or she can show proof of ownership of property in the Cayman Islands along with the financial means to support themselves over that time, without the need to work.

The official outlined the means-related categories under which people can apply for permanent residency (as opposed to legally residing in Cayman for more than eight years, gaining a Residency and Employment Rights Certificate (RERC) as the spouse of a Caymanian and being granted an RERC as the spouse of someone who holds PR). These categories cover people of independent means (which is not the same as having the financial means to stay for six months as described above) including wealthy retirees, those who have invested a minimum of $2 million in developed real estate and those who have invested a specified minimum amount in a “licensed employment generating business”

It doesn’t seem there is a way for you to qualify to live here permanently under your present circumstances.

The laws mentioned above can be found on the CNS Library

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