Overstayer amnesty opens 1 November as HSA deficit nears $8.7m
Customs and Border Control offers a month-long reprieve, while the auditor general flags the Health Services Authority's deficit and business licence renewals slow.
Customs and Border Control has announced a one-month amnesty running from 1 to 30 November, allowing people who have overstayed their lawful permission to remain in the Cayman Islands to leave voluntarily without prosecution for that offence. The measure was reported by Cayman News Service, the Cayman Compass and Cayman Marl Road, which described it as a temporary measure.
On public finances, Cayman News Service reports that the Health Services Authority ran a deficit of almost $8.7 million last year, the largest of the government's audited statutory authorities, despite $26 million in government funding and about $190 million in other revenue, according to the auditor general's latest report. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has issued a response to the Office of the Auditor General's 2025 General Report, the Cayman Compass reports.
For operators, the Department of Commerce and Investment has acknowledged delays in processing Trade and Business Licence renewals, citing higher application volumes, stricter compliance requirements and incomplete submissions, according to Cayman Marl Road. Cayman Airways is advising passengers that from 11.59pm EST on 3 November all travellers to the United States, on any airline, must complete a mandatory health attestation form newly required by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cayman Marl Road also reports that Binance has suspended withdrawals after a reported breach involving about US$6.3 billion in digital assets.
The Chamber of Commerce Council has published an opinion piece in the Cayman Compass arguing Cayman cannot afford further delay on large-scale solar. Separately, the Compass reports a survey ranking Cayman second last among six safest Caribbean tourism destinations confused the islands with Martinique.
In community news, Pirates Week 2026 opens this weekend on Cayman Brac in its 49th year, and the Compass reports the blood bank has returned to safe levels following a public appeal.