January update

A new year brings a new election in Bermuda, with the general election set for 18th February. Elections can bring changes on the immigration front. For example, after the election of the OBA in 2012, they ended the six-year work permit term limits. Then, it was only after the PLP…

Possibly vastly wider scope of ordinary residence put forward

The Immigration Appeal Tribunal (IAT) has recently decided on a case that could widen the scope of ordinary residency for immigration applications. Ordinary residence is a key concept in immigration applications, both for PRC and Bermudian status applications. It is a very flexible concept, and the courts have ruled that…

Possible drastic implications for Belonger status in Throne Speech

I am sending out some further thoughts on the Throne Speech announcement that the Government intends to start a consultation as to altering the Bermuda Constitution, to bring immigration issues such as Belonger status under the control of Bermuda Immigration. Subscribe We do not know much more about the specific…

More Throne Speech updates

My previous post drew attention to that the Government is looking to review the existence of naturalisation as a way to become a Belonger in Bermuda. There are a couple of other items that may be of interest, regarding payroll tax and driving overseas on Bermuda licences.…

Naturalisation mentioned in the Throne Speech

The Throne Speech delivered today makes mention of the process for naturalising as a British Overseas Territories citizen, and an intention to seek changes over how the process works. Currently, an application for naturalisation is submitted via the Department of Immigration, which carries out the vetting process. Upon conclusion of…

A reminder on the perils of registering children as BOT citizens

I have spoken with some people lately saying their friends have registered their children as BOT citizens, thinking that this will benefit them. With some exceptions, it is usually a very bad idea for non-Bermudians to register their child as a BOT citizen. Only naturalised BOT citizens count as Belongers,…

Government back-pedalling on PRC proposals

In a ZBM interview last week, the Minister responsible for Immigration, Jason Hayward, indicated that plans to roll out more flexible PRC options may be put on hold. I include below a link to the video recording, the segment starts at the 2m 30s mark, and I also include some…