Good day to all members of the media and the listening public. 

I will begin this press conference by reminding everyone of the Department of Immigration’scommitment to enforcing the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 and its related policies. The responsibilities of the compliance section include, but are not limited to, compliance checks of businesses, investigating potential breaches of laws and policies, deportations, and the processing of travellers at the airport. 

The Department of Immigration wishes to advise the public that the UK Government has confirmed that individuals attempting to renew their BOTC (Bermuda) passports, acquire initial passports, or have their lost or stolen passports replaced can expect delays up to 11 weeks.  

Following a recent spike in clients reporting long wait times to renew passports, the Department contacted the UK authorities, who unfortunately confirmed the 11-week timeframe.

Regarding the deportation of Brittonie Taylor, this matter is currently before the Courts, and the Government will limit its public comments to ensure this matter is not prejudiced.

As a standard operational procedure, when it is: i) more economical; ii) logistically appropriate; or iii) a specific security threat, the Department of Immigration will utilise a portion of its appropriated budget for deportations to engage a private jet, as has been done in the past.

Today the Department of Immigration provided new guidelines for visitor extensions. 

The Department reminded the public that as of August 1, 2020, the Bermuda Government increased the maximum length of stay for all Tourist Visitors to a maximum of 180 days; at the end of which, visitors are expected to depart Bermuda. 

The Department of Immigration notes that visitors wishing to remain in Bermuda beyond the maximum period allowed should submit an application requesting permission to reside on an annual basis.

The Department of Immigration wishes to advise the public of the following additions to the list of occupational categories that are now included under Closed Category Jobs per Section 3.6 of the currently published Work Permit Policy.  The following job categories will be added to the closed job categories effective immediately and until April 30, 2021.  This shall apply to new work permit applications only and will not affect work permit renewals of existing permits:

The public is advised that the Department of Immigration will introduce automated electronic clearing gates, also known as e-Gates, in the Immigration Arrivals Hall. 

 In preparation, the Department will launch a pilot of the e-Gates at the L.F. Wade Terminal starting tomorrow Tuesday, October 6th, 2020. 

Good Day to members of the media and the listening public.  Thank you for your attendance and for watching this press conference.

Today I announce that effective tomorrow, Tuesday, September, 1st 2020, the Repatriation & Mixed Status Families amendments to the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956, will be brought into force.  In addition, effective Monday, September 14th, 2020 the Department of Immigration will be receiving applications for the matters covered under this legislation.

Background

This evening, the Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Caines provided an update regarding the phased resumption of services at the Department of Immigration.

The Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne M. Caines, JP, MP, is once again sharing the ways that people can inform the Department of Immigration about foreign nationals who are working in Bermuda illegally.

The public will recall that earlier this year Minister Caines outlined the process in reporting immigration breaches. The Minister explained that there is a Compliance Section of the Department of Immigration which is responsible for the following:

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge Mrs. Renee Ming JP, MP, Chair of the Immigration Board, and Mr. Mikkel Harris, Principal Compliance Officer from the Department of Immigration and thank them both for their participation here this afternoon. We are here today to remind the public of the complaints process for reporting Bermuda Immigration Law infractions.