Immigration legislation to deal with the issue of mixed-status families and to give status to children born overseas to a Bermudian parent was today approved in the House of Assembly
The new law which is intended, amongst other things, to ensure families are not separated, was passed with the support of both sides of the House of Assembly although opposition members of parliament from the bipartisan committee on immigration reform voiced their disappointment that certain provisions were not retroactive. Minor amendments were made to the Bill with regard to the repatriation rights which relate to children who are born overseas to persons with Bermudian status.
In addition to the provisions relating to mixed Bermudian status families, the legislation also gives children of permanent resident certificate holders the ability to obtain permanent resident status in certain instances where this was not previously allowed.
The legislation, which was due to have been laid before Parliament in July 2019, has been a long time in coming due in part to the island’s fraught immigration history which has seen public protests staged in recent years against proposed changes to immigration law and policy.
