(CMR) A 33-year-old Jamaican man applied for his residency papers nine days after he married a 48-year-old Caymanian woman. Ironically, his letter asking to be considered for residency on the grounds of marriage to a deceased Caymanian was dated the day that she died.
A WORC administrator initially refused his application on March 26. However, WORC Director Jeremy Scott subsequently asked for the matter to be reconsidered, and it was then approved several days later.
The application was denied because it did not meet the criteria set out in section 28(8)(a-d) of the Immigration Act. On the face of it, the applicant did not meet most of the criteria set to be considered for a marriage that's less than 7 years old.
In the baffling case that has left many asking questions about the validity of the marriage, CMR discovered that the woman had numerous illnesses, including lupus, kidney disease, and leaky heart valves. She passed away on February 19, and the husband wrote a letter to WORC on that same day indicating that they had been married on February 10 and he wanted to obtain permission to remain “working in the Cayman Islands”. He submitted his $300 fee and shared that his heart had been broken and that he had nurtured and cared for her during their relationship.
The man would still be eligible for a work permit but instead applied on the basis of the marriage. Given that his letter was submitted on February 23, there was no death certificate even submitted along with his application to WORC.
The father of two children made no indication of the marriage on his page and his new bride only posted a cake with a brief caption with the date of their marriage and their names. He proclaims his love for her family, sharing that they are all that he has left in this world, making no mention of his young children residing in Jamaica.
What seems clear is that despite claiming to be in a 4-year relationship with the woman, he made no meaningful connections to the Cayman Islands. The couple had no property together, there were no children of the marriage and he does not even have a bank account in the Cayman Islands.
Employed as a construction worker, CMR investigations revealed that despite being in Cayman for a number of years and claiming to be in a solid relationship with his Caymanian wife, there are no photos of them together on social media and not a single mention of the relationship on his page or him getting married to anyone.
He noted in his letter that he could tell many stories of their love but never mentioned a single on there. He also didn't tell any stories publically to those who knew him. His page was plastered with photos of himself, his children, and other Jamaican family members. There is not a single photo of the pair together or one of her at all. Her status merely noted that she was a divorcee and likewise had no mention of him except for a wedding cake.
These oddities were insignificant to her family, as we understand that her children and mother supported his application to remain a permanent resident of the Cayman Islands. Of them, he claimed, “they are all I have left in the world.”
Many have been left asking questions about why, even under section 40(3) of the Immigration Act, he does not appear to meet the bar for consideration, with the length of the partnership being only a week, no children of the marriage, and his financial dependency on her.
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