Bermuda’s national security minister Wayne Caines has promised changes will be made to the laws of that country to tackle the problem of “mixed-status” families within the next few weeks
When describing the timeline, Minister Caines stated that legislation dealing with the issue of “mixed-status” families should be tabled by the end of the current parliamentary session and that the government would also be closely looking at the issue of belongers, specifically children who are born to Bermudian parents overseas. While he was cognisant of the need to strike the right balance between the legitimate expectations of Bermudians and the legitimate labour needs of businesses, Minister Caines noted that the ruling party had campaigned on a mandate of putting Bermudians first, which he interpreted to mean Bermudians should be in a position to secure employment in their own country.
Minister Caines made these comments as he announced the start of a two-week consultation period to canvass public views about the manner in which work permits are granted. At present, jobs in Bermuda are classified into four categories: closed, restricted, special and open.
Members of the public can register their opinions at forum.gov.bm while written responses can be delivered or posted to the Department of Immigration on or before May 14.
