Work permit holders with serious criminal convictions that were unknown at the time their applications were processed and approved by the Department of Immigration have been found on the island.
During the Budget debate in the House of Assembly, home affairs Minister Walton Brown said the requirement for employers to submit police certificates with work permit applications was started last year because Bermudians were not being considered for jobs due to prior convictions. Since the policy was implemented, the Immigration Department has identified a number of instances where work permit holders have a criminal past.
Opposition MP Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, who was a former One Bermuda Alliance home affairs minister, has asked for information on the exact number of applicants who have been turned away because of a criminal past and also what actions are taken by the Department upon the discovery of a work permit holder’s criminal record.
