In coming weeks – beginning Tuesday, 26 October – members of the public, from business owners and permit applicants to frequent travellers, will be able to deal ’face-to-face’ with immigration staff members during a series of district meetings.
“A one-on-one option will allow personal issues and questions to be posed and answered by appropriate staff members,” said Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans.
Each session will begin (5:30 to 7 p.m.) with meetings at individual desks, followed by a one-hour general and public presentation. Evenings will conclude with more personal interaction (between 8 and 9 p.m.).
Managers expect that these informative sessions will inform the public on current and coming immigration developments, as well as encourage constructive community feedback.
Line officers will take the lead at the booths, representing areas ranging from front-counter and visa sections, to business staffing plans and the status/permanent residence boards. However, Ms. Evans will also be present, as will the three Deputy CIOs – Bruce Smith (Border Control); Samantha Bennett (Administration), and Gary Wong (Enforcement).
The meeting schedule is as follows:
• West Bay: Tuesday, 26 October in the Sir John A. Cumber Primary School’s Shirley Kidd Memorial Hall
• East End: Wednesday, 27 October at the William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre
• Savannah: Thursday, 28 October at Savannah Primary School
• Bodden Town: Monday, 1 November at the Bodden Town Civic Centre
• North Side: Tuesday, 2 November at the Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre
• George Town: Wednesday, 3 November at the John Gray High School Hall
• Cayman Brac: Thursday, 4 November at the Aston Rutty Centre.
Individual topics will include customer service enhancements, visas and work permits, plus the new Advanced Passenger Information System for travellers.
However, as answers to many questions may already be available, residents are encouraged to prepare ahead by first checking data on basic enquiries on the department’s website: immigration [at] gov [dot] ky.
The new immigration enforcement hotline (1-800-534 2546) and email address (legalim [at] gov [dot] ky) may also be used by members of the public wishing to provide confidential anonymous information to the enforcement unit.
