Immigration playing by book

| 15/11/2010

(CNS): The immigration department will no longer accept applications for work permits and other paperwork related to issues of immigration unless they are properly completed and have all the necessary documents with them. Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans has stated that one of the biggest hold ups for her department, and the various boards, is dealing with incomplete or incorrectly submitted information. She explained that the system at present does nothing to encourage people to make an effort to supply all the information that the department requires. From now on however, when people come to submit applications staff will refuse to take them if the forms are incomplete or documents are missing.

Evans explained that because workers can remain on island while applications are being processed employers have been able to submit applications to the department which maybe only partially complete but once the forms are accepted into the system no matter how long it takes the employees can remain on the job.

“The way the system currently works is counterproductive,” Evans told CNS, adding that it almost encourages people not to do it right because no matter how poor the quality of the information submitted if an application has been accepted then the worker gets to stay. It is then the immigration department that has to chase theemployer for more information.

“More than 40% of the applications we receive do not have enough information on them for boards to make an informed decision so we are going to stop the incomplete applications at the counter,” she added.

The immigration boss said that by taking the poorly submitted applications out of the system this will speed things up for those people who are doing things correctly as at present the incomplete forms are holding the system up for everyone. She warned that there will be a check made at the desk when someone submits an application and if the correct documents are not supplied or if there are gaps on the forms the applicant will be sent away.

Following a recent series of public meetings Evans said one of the main concerns raised was over the vetting of people coming into the country. The CIO said people are anxious for the finger printing system to be introduced and she said that there seems to be relatively wide support for taking prints from all visitors and not just permit holders. Once the new security system is in place the department’s goal, in the first instance, is to document finger prints from work permit holders, permanent residents and those on student visas.

Evans pointed out that protecting the country’s borders was still the priority of the department and the enforcement team had been doing really well in clamping down on those breaking immigration laws despite the many challenges. Well over sixty people have been arrested since the end of the amnesty which took place in July and the department has established a hotline 1 800 534 2546 and an email contact legalism@gov.ky where the public can make anonymous reports about immigration violations.

The CIO explained that enforcement officers do go out in the field and make visits to ensure that workers on large construction sites, for example, are all legal, but it is information from the community that leads to most of the arrests. With unemployment high at the moment officers are also still keeping an eye on the known spots where workers without permits or those with not enough work from their permit holders are known to congregate looking for causal work but she pointed out that this is difficult to police. However, she noted that is was important for the department to keep a close watch on those who may be under employed as Cayman is an expensive jurisdiction and they could easily fall into crime if they are not earning a full wage to sustain them here.

With immigration reform a key element in government policy Evans is facing a difficult balancing act. She pointed out that while the business community need immigration issues to move swiftly and smoothly to facilitate economic growth, her team was still tasked with enforcing the laws and she had to find ways of balancing the needs of the business community with the need to protect the borders.

Following the premier’s call to allow those visiting Cayman with an eye to investing here a smooth passage through immigration and to stop questioning them and taking their lap tops, Evans said the department was working on creating a five day business visa. She said this would enable those coming for high level meetings or business to do so via a letter of invitation from a Cayman based firm and they will then be able to purchase the visa for themselves and any staff they are travelling with on arrival.

Another one of the department’s challenges which was revealed during the recent public meetings was the bad debt on permanent residency fees. Evans pointed out that one of the major reasons for this is that the law does not require people who have received PR to inform immigration if they change address or if they change employers. Evans said the law only requires the PR holders to notify immigration if they change the type of job they do, if the remain in the same profession they can change their job as often as they please.

However, much of the publicised $1.7million has been collected since the March audit but some will never be collected as the people in question have left the jurisdiction. Evans said that around $700,000 is still outstanding. But again she said from now on immigration would be playing by the book and anyone who owed money on PR fees would not be ale to take the next step towards status if fees were not paid.

 

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  1. Reason says:

     Simple ANSWER…..make a PDF file that HAS to have every field filled out to be submitted,  The technology is there…..lots of forms work this way.

    Linda, you are using a scapegoat here and you look like a fool for playing a blame game.

    This is another excuse for horrible service from an under worked department.

    Helllloooo??  Govt IT department…should be able to fix this in a week.

    1.) Checklist with ALL requirements, including which documents must be notarized.

    2.) a complete Internet based form.  No computer?  Make the program available at the libraries.

    3.) Inbound forms are checked against the checklist and a receipt is issued upon acceptance stating all documents are in order.

    Could we make it any simpler….?

     

     

  2. Judy says:

    For all the complaints posted here about the Immigration office, one would think that more people would have taken the opportunity to attend the public meetings with Ms. Evans and her staff.  At the George Town meeting, a week or so ago, ONE person showed up to discuss complaints and pose questions. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Right or wrong, expat permit holders by and large do not trust the immigration department.

      If an expat complains about a Caymanian it is percieved as a good way getting a quick one way ticket home.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why bother going to the meetings and wasting your time, it doesn’t matter what the people have to say, things will stay the same, nothing will change.  You can complain all you want at the meetings and you will meet a brick wall like always!!!

  3. Anonymous says:

     Immigration needs firstly to clean its own house. There are many employees sabotaging the process. Here is the story of the missing divorce certificate. All documents required for a work permit was submitted by an employer for a worker who had previously been married to a status holder. A covering letter listed every document enclosed, including a copy of the divorce certificate, and it was stamped and receipt acknowledged on the copy covering letter which was held by the employer. After some time had passed the employer inquired of the progress and was told that divorce certificate was required. The employer proceeded to show them that it had been submitted, but the employer was made out to be a liar. A new copy was submitted, but it was discovered that the ex-husband’s new girlfriend worked at immigration and that they had a big fight because he had lied to her, because she had a copy of the divorce papers to prove he was divorced. Nothing happened to this officer, no discipline, no dismissal. This type of behaviour is very common. 

  4. My2cents says:

    People..you are missing the big point here. Forget about claims of missing documents – these will no longer apply. Why?

    Because, from now on, they won’t accept anything unless it is complete.

    Ergo if they do accept something, you can be sure everything is complete. And if Immigration come back to you and claim it is not, you can quote their own policy at them. "You accepted it, therefore it must be complete".

    Think about it!

    • Higgs Boson says:

      The flaw in your logic is that you applied logic.  The principles of logic break down as you cross the threshold of Immigration.  The science of the Immigration logic singularity is still beyond mankind but the following theorem’s might help:

      1) Expect the unexpected.  The only consistency is in the inconsistency. This is the"Immigration uncertainty principle".

      2) While matter can neither be created nor destroyed, this does not apply to documents in the Immigration building which can disappear through an unknown but regular process described as "Immigration’s Theory Regarding The Non-Conservation of Mass in Permit Applications".  We hope to know this disappearance process better once the Large Paperwork Collider is eventually up and running.

      3) No-one can tell if an application has been messed up until someone actually witnesses the application several weeks after the paperwork has been submitted.  This means that an application can, at any time, be both processing and going nowhere.  This paradox is known as "Immigration’s Cat".

       

    • Anonymous says:

      No, they will turn around and tell you, it must have slipped by the person checking…..

      • Anonymous says:

        You have must have forgotten the standard Govt. "get out of jail free card", which covers every possible scenario.

        "That was an oversight". Its part of the training program.

  5. SUGEGSTION BOX says:

    A standardised "Cover Form" identifying all submitted items/fees should be completed by the Employer/Applicant and, after inspection by the CIG, a copy of this Form should be returned to the remitter.

    But, in any event, is it not time to seriously consider outsourcing the bulk of the adminstration function associated with the WP process. It is hard to belive that this work could not be done more efficiently and cost effectively by professional service providers. The final determination of each WP application could still rest with a greatly reduced CIG Committee.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Is it not about time this counld be submitted via the web? Documents attached and then submitted for review by an immigration offical in the back office. Can anyone imagine how long the lines are going to be down there if everyone has to line up and get everything checked? At least have the applications logged online and then people can just bring in the supporting paperwork to be added to save time… But i do think this is a welcome improvement…

  6. Anonymous says:

     Maybe they could stop losing the bloody paperwork, and then claiming you didn’t submit it. 

    If I didn’t submit the paperwork, how can I immediately call up a notarised copy of said missing paperwork? 

    And then when you submit that paperwork, they come back and tell you that you have other missing paperwork. So how come that wasn’t missing the first time?

    STOP LOSING PEOPLES DOCUMENTS.

  7. Anonymous says:

    This is classic…every time you send in something it comes back with NEW requirements that aren’t part of the original instructions.

    For instance – to apply for Status – they say you need your reference letters notarized yet the Status app has no mention of that…it goes on and on

    How dare Linda question our intelligence. No wonder the likes of Paulette Anglin Lewis start their own company as at least they know what they are doing !!

    • cow itch says:

      "For instance – to apply for Status – they say you need your reference letters notarized yet the Status app has no mention of that…it goes on and on"

      What Immigration need to do is ensure INSTRUCTIONS are clear and understandable, attached to these application forms. This has nothing to do with Chief Immigration Officer, Linda Evans questioning people’s intelligence!  And I personally hear similar complaints from Anglin Lewis and Company.

    • Kung Fu Iguana says:

      This is typical of a "notarise everything" malaise in the civil service.  There are many areas where the Cayman civil service has imposed the requirement of notarisation on daily life without any formal requirement for it.  Try getting a notary in the UK – it costs a fortune.  Try selling your car after you have left the island without a notarised document . . .

  8. John Evans says:

    When I was working for Net News I lost track of the number of people who complained that they had carefully submitted every single document required for a WP grant or renewal to Immigration only to have problems when some of the paperwork went ‘missing’.

    The most common complaint seemed to be that medical and/or blood test reports were lost, forcing the applicant to pay for the process all over again, but on occasions the whole application had vanished.

    In fairness to Immigration it is worth pointing out that I also saw numerous cases where employers, including my own, failed to submit documents so it was definitely a two-way street.

    Where I live now the local authority always gives you an itemised receipt showing every document handed over. They still write to me claiming not to have received the paperwork but at least I can repond with a copy of their receipt and a suitably sarcastic covering letter. Maybe a similar system might solve some of the problems at Immigration?

    One tip worth passing on to anyone submitting applications to any government body is that you photocopy every piece of paper and keep the copies safe for future reference. Better still, submit the photo-copies and keep the originals because I bet no one will notice the difference.

  9. WEST BAY FAN CLUB says:

    How long has the CIO been in this post? It is just now that she realises this process could be counterproductive? Huh? Took a long time?

    She needs to be more productive in her role…and not just process whatever applications XXXX. 

    As another poster said…full applications that are submitted go missing, so can the CIO explain what happens here?

    She could be put in the role to collect those outstanding PR fees, at least she would be doing something constructive…and collect the well need revenue for Government.  

     

    • pam says:

      You make it sound like from the time Linda became the Chief Immigration Officer, she has done nothing. But I don’t think you know what it is like to work for a government agency like the Cayman Islands Immigration Department. Chief Immigration Officers do more than just solve processing problems

  10. Anonymous says:

    Ha! The counter staff don’t even know what a correct application looks like!! They have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Our messengers have been sent away by the counter staff who have refused to accept an application or a cheque because they’ve decided it’s incorrect when in fact it isn’t. We then have to send our messengers back to stand in line AGAIN in order to submit the paperwork that was correct the first time!!

    Maybe it’s time for Linda Evans to spend the time and money to train her counter staff correctly instead of spending her time giving press releases.

    The back of house staff and the call centre staff are absolutely amazing and a pleasure to speak with and they certainly know what they’re talking about. It’s the front of house staff that let the immigration department down completely.

     

     

  11. Anonymous says:

    The immigration department is a farce.  It’s a mickey mouse operation where nobody takes any ownership for anything they do – and where no one requires them to do so.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Hmmm, what about the applications submitted with all the correct documentation, only for Immigration to insist they never received everything and ask for a test or something else to be submitted again, in a manner suggesting the applicant never submitted it?  No word of a lie my permit has been renewed 5 times and no less than 4 of them I’ve been asked to resubmit something or to redo a test that has already been submitted.  I wonder how many other people out there experience this too?  I know I’m not alone as others in my workplace have had similar frustrations.  And I wonder how many of these go towards making up that 40%?

    Having said that this move by Immigration is a good thing.  I’ve been saying for years that a simple process where immigration staff initially check all papers to ensure everything required is there at the start, otherwise reject the application and return it, is so obviously needed.  It’s absurd that an application without correct paperwork could reach all the way to the Board before being noticed.  

    • Anonymous says:

      Next time you are in the Immigration Department, ask for a tourof the filing area.

      You will find piles of paper on the floor. It is an unmitigated mess.

      They desperately need:

       1) a digital content management system staffed by people who know how to use it, or

       2) a bigger filing cabinet staffed by people who know how to file accurately.

      The technology is easy to get, competant people who care and who are not expat haters? That’s another story.

  13. Anonymous says:

    if immigration wants to collect PR fees from people that are here they have to send out a letter every year with the amount owed on it just like when you have a work permit. if you think people will pay without beeing asked you live in lala land.

  14. Emma Grayson says:

    The PR work permit equivalency fees are illegal under European rights law and :

    1) Anyone threatened with being charged should invite the AG’s office not to prosecute because of this illegailty.

    2) If the discretion to prosecute is exercised and a prosecution continues then judicially review that decision – by the time the matter gets to the Court of Appeal or the Privy Council the fee will be ruled illegal.

     

  15. Anonymous says:

    maybe if the girl on the desk when you first go into immigration was halpful and wasnt always reading a magazine and simply pointed to forms or an area when you asked a perfectly good question then people would know what to do? why is it when some people put on a blouse or uniform shirt and a badge they turn totally anal?

  16. Libertarian says:

    Glad to know that we are improving our Immigration work

  17. Psimple Psimon says:

    I hope this does not apply to emergency permit applications.  My business needs these on a regular basis.  Let us hope that we don’t have to tell business people they can’t come because of a jobsworth order from a civil servant. 

    Having to tell them they need a permit in the first place is embarrassing.  I just tell them it is just because the Government is desperate to find someone else other than voters to pay for things.

    • Libertarian says:

      Psimple

      Try to understand that to apply for a permit is necessary, because it properly registers a person on the island. Suppose that business person went missing, then we would have a missing visitor… that wouldn’t look good right?  We wouldn’t know where to look for that person; hence, for that person to fill out an application form to permit him to stay here even on a short business visit, is crucial

      • Psimple Psimon says:

        But to charge a few grand for that? 

        To get a police clearance certificate for a one day visit by an attorney?

        Don’t give me that "properly registers a person" BS.

         

  18. Anonymous says:

    Maybe Immigration should let the general public know what exactly has to be attached with the applications.  Every time you go to Immigration it is always different.  One person tells you one thing and another person tells you another.  She has a lot of nerve to say they will not accept the application where Immigration still loses paperwork, doesn’t refund monies owed to you, delays in work permits.  I highly doubt the back up is all caused by missing paperwork. 

     

    Outstanding PR fees, that is the Immigration’s stupidity for not collecting these fees.  There are so many people working in the Immigration Department, you are going to tell me that they just can’t have one person dealing with this?  I would have thought it is all computerized under PR…..

    • Libertarian says:

      But boss man, can’t you read?  As you pick up an application, it has the instructions on it. Go to Immigration now and check the applications; the instructions are on the applications!  Also, they have a website no?

      • Anonymous says:

        Hey Libertarian, the instructions on the application doesn’t state everything.  You get to Immigration and they tell you something else is missing which isn’t requested on the application.  So, yes I can read, but can you and Immigration understand that there are people working there (maybe you work there), that change what is requested day to day!!!!

      • Anonymous says:

         Their website is outdated too.  Try calling them.  I called and left a message and still haven’t received a return call.  I also called them more than one time.

  19. Anonymous says:

    dept of immigration sums everything is wrong with civil service and cig…..

    • Libertarian says:

      Agreed.  There is more improvement to be made. And it is not like we can just get rid of Immigration. We need to be able to monitor the movement of people on and off the island – it is very important.

      But… for now, I think the real change need to take place with the size of governemnt being too large. The Immigration is one thing, but the size of government as a whole is too expensive to manage, unless we privatize and set up public-private partnerships, the high fees, licenses, permits, and duty rates will continue to increase the cost of living