The Governor’s Office has provided insight into how collaboration between the Cayman Islands government and that of the UK could reshape the territory’s management of asylum and refugee cases.
With the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2018 (the “Bill”) now in effect, refugee and asylum matters are slated for an overhaul. The Governor’s Office is currently working closely with the Deputy Governor’s Office to provide expert UK advice on two initiatives that will help to ensure high standards at the Immigration Detention Centre (“IDC”) including the timely disposal of immigration appeals. Delays in the asylum appeals process have long been a complaint by applicants and have been a source of correspondence between the Human Rights Commission and the Department of Immigration.
The first initiative recently brought members of the UK Independent Monitoring Board to George Town, Grand Cayman to provide training to members of the new Cayman Islands Independent Monitoring Board. This organisation will conduct frequent monitoring visits of all detention centres in the Cayman Islands including the IDC. The UK will also provide experts from its First-tier Tribunal’s Immigration and Asylum Chamber who will assist in training members of the Refugee Protection Appeals Tribunal (“RPAT”) which was established under the Bill. RPAT will take over responsibilities that are currently delegated to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal (“IAT”) in reviewing asylum applications that have been turned down by the chief immigration officer.
