HSM LAW
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 +
Locked In: How Cayman’s New Section 64 Redefines Work Permit Mobility
Section 64 of the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision) (“the Act”) and its earlier iterations has long governed the circumstances in which a work permit holder may change employment in the Cayman Islands. Historically, the provision operated as a relatively Read more +
Cayman Immigration: There May be Trouble Ahead
As the government prepares for a commencement date of 1 March 2026 for the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment and Validation) Act 2025 (“the Amendment Act”), it is becoming increasingly obvious that there will be a large number of individuals adversely affected Read more +
Industry Update: Cayman Islands “Blacklisting” by the European Union
The European Union has on the 18th of February, ‘blacklisted’ the Cayman Islands as a non-cooperative jurisdiction for tax purposes. This action was taken despite concerted efforts of the Cayman Islands Government to comply with every European Union initiative, including enacting more than 15 separate pieces of legislation designed to comply with EU criteria over the past two years alone.
It appears the ‘blacklisting’ arose as a result of two recent pieces of legislation, the Private Funds Law and the Mutual Funds (Amendment) Law which came into force on the 7th of February 2020, however, the passage of these laws came three days later than expected by the European Union’s Code of Conduct Group who met on the 4th of February. On the basis those two particular laws were not yet enacted into law, the European Union’s Code of Conduct Group recommended to the European Finance Minsters that the Cayman Islands be ‘blacklisted’ for failing to “…deliver on their commitment on time..” with respect to such legislation.
The Cayman Islands Government has to date issued two public statements on this matter since the ‘blacklisting’ occurred. They are fully committed to working closely with the European Union to remove the Cayman Islands from the ‘blacklist’ as soon as possible.
If you have any concerns on the above please direct your inquires to Huw Moses, HSM’s Managing Partner at hmoses@hmsoffice.com. We will continue to provide updates as and when they occur, but we do not expect this event to negatively impact our clients and are confident the jurisdiction will be removed from this list in due course.