Remarks by The Minister Of National Security, The Hon. Wayne M. Caines JP MP

Good afternoon everyone and thank you for attending,

We are here to update the public on the Department of Immigration’s next phase of immigration reform.

The government recognizes the importance of including every member of our community in the decision-making process. To that end, we are asking for your assistance in providing information to assist us in making informed decisions on immigration policies that effect Bermudians.

Before I go into the details, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Dannette Ming, Chief Immigration Officer from the Department of Immigration and thank her for participating here this afternoon.

In government’s speech from the throne, we pledged to make our immigration laws better reflect our mandate of putting Bermudians first. This includes simplifying issues surrounding Bermudian status for mixed-status families.

To this end, the Department of Immigration is requesting the public’s assistance in collecting data on the number of Mixed-Status Families in Bermuda.

A Mixed-Status Family would include a family where one or more parents has Bermudian Status or holds a Permanent Resident Certificate, but their son, daughter or spouse does not have either Bermuda Status or hold a Permanent Resident Certificate.

If your family structure fits the description of a mixed-status family and you are able to assist with providing this information, we encourage you to attend the CedarBridge Academy Gymnasium on June 27 between 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm.

Following this, data collection will continue here at the Ministry of National Security, located on the 3rd floor Global House, Church Street, Hamilton, from Friday, June 28th until Friday, July 12th, between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm Monday through Friday.  

All persons are required to present a valid form of photo identification. 

For questions, please email jscott@gov.bm or call 704-4134 or 297-7819.

In addition to addressing the issue of mixed-status families in Bermuda, the Department of Immigration is working on many other initiatives that will address long-standing and/or sensitive immigration issues.

The government will continue to keep the public updated on developments and involved in the process by periodically requesting feedback via the Citizens Forum. Again the website address for this is www.forum.gov.bm.

The public can also keep abreast of information and announcements by downloading government’s new Tree Frog app, available for free from the Apple and Google Play store.

Thank you.