Live Video Replay: Pathway To Status Program

February 25, 2016

CITV, the Government television station, is hosting a program this evening [Feb 25] in which the Minister of Home Affairs and Attorney General will discuss the Government’s proposed Pathways to Status initiative.

The announcement said, “Members of the public are invited to tune in to CITV [Channel 2 on Cable and Channel 102 on WOW] on Thursday February 25th at 8pm where the Minister of Home Affairs, Attorney General, and Junior Minister of Home Affairs will appear live on CITV with guest host Charles Webbe to discuss the Government’s proposed Pathways to Status initiative.

“Members of the public can email any questions that they may have for the Ministers on this initiative in advance to pathwaysquestions@gov.bm. Questions will be read out and answered live on Thursday night.”

The initiative will see changes allowing eligible people who are ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 15 years becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency, and any permanent resident who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 20 years becoming eligible to apply for Bermudian status.

The proposed changes have been welcomed by some, while other have expressed concern, and there have been three protests since the announcement; the chanting in the public gallery of the House of Assembly, the protests at the information session which resulted in the event being closed down, and the gathering in Hamilton earlier today.

The programme is being carried live on TV, and Bernews is also carrying a live stream online. with permission, for viewers overseas or those without access to the TV programme.

Update 9.30pm: The programme has concluded, the 90 minute replay is below

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Comments (31)

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  1. Tom 1 says:

    Very informative! Thank you to the government for getting this information out to the public, and correcting some of the misinformation that has been spread about this topic.

  2. NCM says:

    Good stuff, Minister Fahy and AG Moniz. Perhaps we all have a better understanding now and can engage in rational discussion.

  3. Bravo says:

    Preppured some emails and didn’t have any phone lines. Hahahahaha

  4. Lois Frederick says:

    My email was answered. It was definitely worth watching. I suggest doing another one.

  5. No Brains says:

    Lets all accept that we are not all the same and go outside for a while considering we live in one of the most beautiful places in th world

  6. Rhonda says:

    How does someone come here as a low or no skilled worker and successfully get a work permit renewed for 30 to 50 years.. of course they now have children and grand children…. by why does the country now owe them status…

    They are doing better than many Bermudians.. who can’t secure employment… and are told they aren’t entitled to anything…..regardless of their qualification…

    • serengeti says:

      So you’re saying that there are unskilled jobs available for people who want to work.

    • trisha says:

      That is true Rhonda, many claim to have been doctors, lawyers, accountants and managers back home but here they work as cleaners, waitresses and nannies, care givers don’t speak proper English, don’t know how to use a niddle, but they claim they have done it. I have seen those they say they know how to drive and the employer pays for them to learn.
      Some expats get kick out of the island as soon as their permit expires when others get to stay for longer than 4 months until their employer convince immigration that there are not Bermudians qualified. Desgustin!

      • Nanny Pat says:

        THEY don’t speak Proper English???

      • Alex says:

        Trisha, we advertised for a cleaner/housekeeper, and do you know how many Bermudians applied? None.

        Unfortunately I don’t have any Reinsurance CEO jobs going in my laundry room.

  7. Oracle says:

    Some of the questions asked just go to show that people are just not listening to the facts.

    Kudos to Mr Fahey and Moniz for being so patient in answering them in good order.

  8. Minister Fahy makes the comments that we have to remember that those that are here on work permits were brought here by Bermudians, and that these same Bermudians are benefiting from these people being here.

    we don’t have access to all the stats but we as born Bermudians do live here and can clearly see for the most part, who lives among us, and where these folk live and work and who they work for, I know that there are so many work permit holders that are here on permits, and a great number of these folk work for status Bermudians.

    Why is this of great concern because this is the trend that help to destroy the hospitality industry in Bermuda and spilled over into main stream Bermuda. all you have to do is take a closer look at who is working among you and who are the Employers hiring them. these same paper or status Bermudians as we know them, mostly chose other foreigners as they once were.

    Let’s be reminded for the most part it was all about greed, and the fact the foreign worker can work longer and paid less.

    • jt says:

      I think you can be less forgetful when searching for events that opened the door to increased numbers of permit workers in the hospitality industry.

    • Bullseye says:

      Mandatory gratuity killed the hospitality industry here.

    • Build a Better Bermuda says:

      Wow, now your blaming foreigners for destroying our hospitality industry… you are the definition of perpetual denial and blame deflection. We have no one but ourselves to blame, you want to know why there are foreigners working low skilled jobs here, it is because there are only so few Bermudians that are willing to work those jobs, and willing to work at them as a way to work their way up. The majority of the rest of the local pool for low skill jobs will only do these jobs as a quick hustle, and that is bad for business. This notion that businesses should be responsible for hiring people is a fallacy, businesses are in the business of providing a service to people and they only hire people that they need to provide that service, however, when you hire an employee that then leaves after they collect their first pay check, it costs that business owner time and money in lost productivity and retraining to have to keep rehiring a position. Majority of business will offer pathways of advancement for anybody willing to make the effort, so blame us for allowing the erosion of the work ethic that built this country, we did it to ourselves; we are owed what we earn, entitlements so the destroyer of cultures.

  9. Coffee says:

    I still want to know how a nanny here in Bermuda for twenty years has created a job for Bermudians ? Seems the other way around !

    • Curious too says:

      It may not be that they create a whole new job, but will aid in keeping jobs and people employed.
      - Banks need to keep people employed to process the Nanny’s salary payment
      - Marketplace needs to keep people employed to ensure there is food on the shelves for the nanny to purchase (yes people from other countries have to eat too)
      - Employers by law have to provide health coverage for the nanny, paying the monthly premiums keeps people at the insurance companies employed
      - Perhaps the nanny rides a scooter (yes some do) it needs gas, service, annual license and insurance, guess what someone needs to be employed to do that
      ok I could go on but hopefully you get the picture!

      • Bermudian says:

        And best of all, Bermudians and employers wouldn’t be able to work without these nannies, simple as that. Does that really need to be spelled out?

    • trisha says:

      First of all they don’t pay rent, don’t spend on food and if in case they did is not the same as a Bermudian mom with kids who need to spend more. They don’t pay for gas, their employer does, their trip back home gets also paid by the employer.
      Same goes for house keepers on contract. They save their money and all is sent to their country.

      • jt says:

        They also don’t devalue currency.

      • Nanny Pat says:

        Let me dumb this down for you – if a family doesn’t have a nanny they like/trust/value, the MOM hates life here and wants to leave taking HUBBY (and the jobs he creates) and the kiddos somewhere else (no more school tuition, no more sports, no more dinners out…)

        And for the love of God and all that is holy, STOP assuming these people:

        A: even WANT BERMDIAN status (seriously!)
        B: that they go back “home” – most move on to a new and exciting adventure – pink sand is pretty but it isn’t the end all be all.

      • Curious too says:

        and a kid staying with his mommy pays rent and for his food? Do the kids pay for gas, no I’m sure mommy gives them money for that too? How does paying for a trip impact anything, that money goes to the airline?

  10. Coffee says:

    What the OBA is attempting to do is disingenuous and harmful to the born Bermudian population .

    • Raymond Ray says:

      Quote: “Anyone else find it ironic that one of the main complaints is that these people shouldn’t have been here for 15-20 years, because the government continued to ‘illegally’ renew work permits? I’m sorry…who was in power for the majority of those 15-20″ e.o.q.

    • jt says:

      How so?

    • Bermudian says:

      Try harder, please.

  11. trisha says:

    Ubp, plp, and OBA ruined Bermuda.
    Fact, some of these employees come from over populated country, over population makes a country poor.

    • Sickofantz says:

      Puhlease find me the data that supports that premise! I dare you to find one iota of evidence that supports that position?

  12. Midge p says:

    Thanks for putting this info session on tv,very informative

  13. Charlie C says:

    What’s the payroll cap again?

    $750k @14%?

    So each expat executive we drive away is $100k+ of payroll tax lost?

    I would love to see the total breakdown of a company redomiciing and executive team and their roles leaving the island..,,