Work Permit Fee Changes Take Effect Today
The Ministry of Home Affairs advised that today [Apr 1] Phase I – the Implementation Version of the Work Permit Policies and the new work permit fees will take immediate effect.
Last month the Ministry announced it was finalising the proposed recommendations received from the Work Permit Stakeholder Group for implementation. The Work Permit Stakeholder Group is made up of representatives from the Ministry, the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, the Bermuda Hotel Association, ABIC, ABIR, the Construction Association of Bermuda, the Bermuda Employers Council, the Bermuda Human Resources Association and the Trade Union Congress.
With Phase I now in effect, the Ministry advised that Phase II of the process will commence in due course, and is anticipated that the stakeholder group will reconvene shortly to begin a wholesale review of the current work permit policies.
Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy said, “Bermuda’s economic challenges have meant that this Government has had to take steps to make Bermuda more attractive as a place to do business.
“Our policies must be friendly to business while simultaneously protecting the rights of Bermudians to work in their own country. This requires balance and we are working to ensure that we take a balanced approach.”
The Minister noted that part of that balance also included the training and re-training of unemployed and underemployed Bermudians to ensure they gain the necessary skills to compete in this current economy and successfully transition back into the workforce.
The Minister added, “We are working very hard to grow the Bermuda economy so that there is opportunity for all. It that regard, preserving, protecting and providing jobs for Bermudians is our top priority.
“And we see these reforms in the work permit policy as key in protecting Bermudian jobs. As I’ve said previously, ensuring social and economic equity for everyone is a critical goal for this Government. We understand that the amendments to the Work Permit Policies will not solve all of our current unemployment issues, but we genuinely believe it is a step in the right direction.”
On March 15th, the House of Assembly passed legislation to raise the fees for certain work permit categories. The fees will apply to all businesses and organisations who employ guest workers. The fee changes are as follows:
- The one-year work permit fee will increase from $721 to $800;
- The two-year work permit fee will increase from $1,442 to $2,000;
- The three-year work permit fee will increase from $2,163 to $3,000;
- The four-year work permit fee will increase from $2,884 to $4,000;
- The ten-year work permit fee will decrease from $20,000 to $15,000; and
Work permit applications in the new Special Category such as the — Global Work Permit and the and New Business Work Permit will attract a processing fee of $750 per application plus the normal work permit fee.
The Ministry pointed out that by keeping the one-year permit lower it is “anticipated that businesses will be more inclined to seek a one year permit thereby increasing the frequency of positions being advertised – thus increasing opportunities for Bermudians.”
The Department of Immigration provided stakeholder training to businesses and organisations to ensure that they are in a state of readiness on implementation day. The sessions will continue over the course of this week.
