Premier fast‑tracks immigration and health Bills for March 4 Parliament sitting

Premier the Hon. André Ebanks MP has confirmed that a small number of Bills have been certified as urgent and are expected to be taken up when Parliament next sits on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.​​

Using section 77(2) of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order, the Premier has waived the usual 28‑day publication period for legislation in cases he says require swift action in the public interest.​​

The urgent package includes the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2026, which would authorise and validate express processing fees at WORC, clarify how the 15‑year residency rule applies to permanent residency applicants, and automatically deem people born in the Cayman Islands on or before 26 March 1977 to be Caymanian.​​

It also includes the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which would update the definition of “indigent” to “medically indigent” and shift decisions on who qualifies for government‑funded coverage to the Ministry responsible for Health, with the aim of speeding up decisions in urgent medical situations.​

Government says the Bills address pressing operational and legal issues affecting Caymanians and support its broader policy outcomes on education, immigration and workforce development, health and social development, public services, and good governance.​

In what officials describe as an unprecedented transparency step, the Premier has provided written notice of the urgent certification, along with full reasons, to Speaker Hon. D. Ezzard Miller and has had the letter circulated to all 19 Members of Parliament.​

Government has also signalled that this practice will be written into Parliament’s Standing Orders in future, as part of its commitment to more open and accountable law‑making.