📜 Cayman Islands government to draft new rules against sham marriages

The Cayman Islands Government is taking steps to preserve the integrity of marriage and civil partnerships by drafting new immigration regulations. The Immigration (Arrangements of Convenience) Regulations 2024 are aimed at preventing sham marriages and ensuring that such unions are entered into sincerely and not exploited for ulterior motives. The new rules are designed to enhance scrutiny, create a standardized reporting framework, and address legislative gaps, thus enabling Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) officers to respond swiftly to suspicious reports. 📝

Border Control Minister Dwayne Seymour stated that the measures are intended to ensure that marriages and civil partnerships are based on genuine relationships and not exploited for convenience. The approval of these new regulations marks the beginning of the legislative drafting process, which will involve consultation with relevant stakeholders and the public. The new rules will empower officials to scrutinize intended marriages or civil partnerships more rigorously and establish a clear legal framework for officials to report any suspicions. 🏛️

According to WORC data, in 2022, its enforcement unit investigated 175 sham marriage reports, with 114 cases resulting in adverse findings. The new regulations are expected to aid in the fight against fake marriages. However, the government has yet to roll out any new rules or amendments to the law to address issues related to the permanent residency points system or to better control the number of work permits being issued. As of mid-April, there were a record-breaking 37,437 valid work permits. 👥