Government ministers are expected to discuss the issue of belongers’ rights in Bermuda in the next few days as part of efforts to revise and modernise the territory’s immigration laws.
Minister of National Security, Wayne Caines told the Bermuda House of Assembly on March 17 that a paper on the subject of the status of belongers in Bermuda will be presented to Cabinet shortly. He told MPs that immigration reform legislation could be tabled in Parliament as early as the summer months as his team tried to balance the needs of Bermudians with those of international business.
Mr Caines further explained that work had been carried out over the past six months but that comprehensive changes to immigration law could not happen overnight. He further noted that the immigration reform phase is the centre of the government’s overall reform which will emphasise policy development, public consultation, and the drafting of legislation.
MPs heard that the first stage of the plan for immigration reform involved the processing of a backlog of work permits and this had been completed in December 2018. A review of the Immigration Department’s work is expected to start in April 2019.
Craig Cannonier, the Leader of the Opposition One Bermuda Alliance party, noted it was vital to deal with problems that affected belongers and mixed-status families as they are “Bermudian through and through”.
