If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, once you have married your Cayman Islands fiance or you have lived together for one year as common-law partners, you can sponsor him or her for permanent residence in Canada.
Requirements To Get Married in Cayman Islands
- Proof of citizenship and age (passport or an original/certified copy of birth certificate with photo identification
- Decree absolute bearing a seal of the court of divorce, if either party is divorced
- Marriage and death certificate of deceased spouse, if either party is widowed
- Parental consent if either party is under the age of 18
- Statutory declaration certifying that both parties are unmarried
- Notice of intended marriage
- Two witnesses are required for the ceremony
- Cayman island immigration card for cruise ship passengers.
All documents should be legal and original documents are required and they must be in English or translated and notarized.
Costs
S250 USD for marriage certificate
Steps to get married
There are different processes for getting married for residents and visitors of the island.
- For residents, considered a person who has lived in the island for more than 15 days must have their details published for 7 days through a process called “posting of the banns of marriage”
- For non-residents, they must obtain a special marriage license issued by the authority of the government of the Cayman Islands.
- If one party of the wedding is a resident and the other a visitor, then the wedding will be performed under the authority of banns of marriage.
- Residents and visitors must provide the same documents stated above to be married.
- Residents should have a preliminary meeting with their marriage officer and provide the required documents. In addition, they will provide a signed and witnessed notice of marriage, from which the banns of marriage are prepared.
- The wedding celebrant also called a civil registrar or marriage officer will assess the documents and will advise if they are in order. Once they are in order, the marriage officer will then agree to perform the ceremony and register the marriage in the public records office called the general registry.
- After the ceremony, the marriage officer, the two witnesses and the married couple will sign three documents which are; two copies of the marriage register and the certified copy of the marriage register
Commonly observed local marriage customs
- One of the local marriage tradition in the island is that the when the groom would like to get married, the way to pay respect to the bride and her family, the guy has to write a letter to the father to ask for his consent for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
- The second tradition is that at the wedding, the groom will always be the first to open the first bottle of champagne, which the couple will use to toast each other while guests are encouraging and shouting advices. This is called the “champagne & cork ceremony.
- Creating the new family memory vase is also done, similar to the unity sand ceremony. Both mothers of the married couple will first lay down the foundation of the memory vase before the couple can add their sand
- Lastly “taking the plunge (trashing the dress, island style”. After being pronounced husband and wife, the couple will take a plunge into the waters
Possible Challenges for Getting Married in Cayman Islands
Marriage between two men or two women are not legal in Cayman Islands
Sponsoring Your Spouse From Cayman Islands To Canada
Questions commonly asked at sponsorship interviews
- When, where and how did you meet your spouse
- What does your spouse do for a living?
- Where does your spouse work? And their salary
- When and where did you get married
- Do you receive any financial support from your spouse? Any proof?
- Have you ever been on any trips together?
- How many siblings does your spouse have?
- Any of the family member attended the wedding
Frequent sponsorship interviews
- no, unless necessary.
What kind of documents are frequently requested?
Checklist
- Document Checklist – Spouse (including dependent children of spouse) [IMM 5533] (PDF, 3.7 MB)
- Use your checklist to make sure you include all the forms and documents you need.
- Place the checklist on top, as a cover page for your application package
Sponsorship Application Forms for Cayman Islands Applicants
Forms for the sponsor to fill out
- Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (IMM 1344) (PDF, 588.96 KB)
- Sponsorship Evaluation and Relationship Questionnaire (IMM 5532) (PDF, 2.21 MB)
- Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (PDF, 648.31 KB)
For the person being sponsored (principal applicant):
- Generic Application Form for Canada [IMM 0008] (PDF, 652 KB)
- Additional Dependants/Declaration [IMM 0008DEP] (PDF, 433.80 KB)
- Additional Family Information [IMM 5406] (PDF, 570.00 KB)
- Schedule A – Background/Declaration [eIMM 5669] (PDF, 597.99 KB)
Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (PDF, 648.31 KB)
Longer processing times than the official government listing of 12 months
Not usually, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the applications are not processed as usual and may take a bit longer
Do people in the Cayman Islands engage in arranged marriages/matchmaking? Or are marriages usually love marriages?
There was no information found concerning arranged marriage in the Cayman Islands. Most if not all weddings are voluntary between the couple.
Are documents issued in the Cayman Island issued in any language other than English or French? If so, what language(s)?
Documents in the Cayman Islands are issued in English which is the official language
Unique Sponsorship Application Requirements from Cayman Island
Cayman Islamd – Additional forms for residents
- There are no extra forms for Cayman Island.
Is a TRV required for a person from the Cayman Island to enter Canada if they wanted to do In-Canada sponsorship?
Cayman Islands does not require a TRV to enter Canada however travelers coming in by plane are required to obtain an ETA (electronic travel authorization)
