HSM LAW
Cayman Islands Immigration Update – March 2026: Work Permit Stats and PR Factor 8 Clarity
The latest work permit statistics released by Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman (WORC) show that there are currently 37,075 work permits in place as of 11 March 2026. This represents a small decrease from February 2026, when 37,267 work permits Read more +
Cayman Immigration Reform: Progress, but Greater Clarity Needed
Recent immigration developments in the Cayman Islands represent meaningful progress, but they also highlight the need for greater transparency and certainty as further changes are introduced. Positive Developments: Protection for PR Holders and Applicants The Government should be applauded for Read more +
The Changing Face of Cayman: Immigration, Nationality, and the Permanent Residence Points System
Over the past decade, the demographic composition of the Cayman Islands’ expatriate workforce has undergone a notable transformation. These changes have important implications not only for labour market planning but also for the operation and perceived fairness of the Permanent Read more +
Chambers and Partners Features HSM Group in Global Legal Guide 2026
The HSM Group is pleased to be featured by Chambers & Partners in their 2026 Global Legal Guide. Our Intellectual property practice, HSM IP, has once again been ranked as a top tier law firm in their Global (Caribbean-Wide) Intellectual Read more +
Cayman Islands Grand Court Reviews Law Governing Applications to Strike Out
Alexander Davies, HSM litigation attorney, applied on behalf of a defendant to proceedings, Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited, to strike out the plaintiff’s claim for want of prosecution. The claim for damages flows from a personal injury sustained when the plaintiff tripped on stairs on her employer’s premises in 2014. Proceedings were protectively issued in 2017. Following a protracted history, including an interlocutory appeal to the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal heard in 2019, and several changes of attorneys by the plaintiff, the case had ground to a halt. The key issue had become the plaintiff’s claimed permanent disability due to chronic pain, and whether this was caused by the index injury. The defendant’s nominated expert in chronic pain, whom had examined the Plaintiff in 2018, was by January 2024 no longer available to give evidence due to having retired.
Giving judgment on the application, Hon. Asif J. K.C. found that the plaintiff had caused or contributed to inordinate and inexcusable delay in bringing her claim, which had resulted in genuine prejudice to the defendant, and the test for striking out the claim was therefore satisfied. Rather than striking out the entire claim, however, the learned Judge instead restricted the scope of the claim, debarring the plaintiff from pursuing a claim based upon the reported chronic pain and associated disability.
The judgment on 10 July 2024 provides a useful summary and review of the law pertaining to applications to strike out proceedings for want of prosecution in the Cayman Islands.