The Bermuda government says St. Lucians will require a multi-re-entry visa issued by the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada to enter the British Overseas Territory as the David Burt government has announced new initiatives aimed at strengthening the island’s borders, addressing sham marriages and enhancing the integrity of the immigration system.
Economy and Labour Minister, Jason Hayward, said the changes will also protect key entry-level insurance and reinsurance roles to ensure greater employment opportunities for Bermudians. He told a news conference that protecting Bermuda’s borders and its people is a top priority for the government and that the island must have strong systems in place to manage the movement of people into the country and to safeguard the job opportunities available to Bermudians.
‘This is vital to our national security and shared prosperity,’ he said, adding that the government would be updating the Bermuda Immigration and Protection (Prohibition of Entry) Order.
‘The purpose of the Order is to ensure that travellers to Bermuda are security vetted before they arrive and, also, that there is continued access for visitors and residents travelling to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other destinations, through regular commercial air service.’
Hayward said that it is important to emphasise that the border policy of the British Overseas Territory must also account for changes to border, transit and visa policies in the United Kingdom.
‘Given Bermuda’s geographic position and the limited number of commercial air routes available to the island, the United Kingdom provides a key, flexible commercial aviation pathway. As a result, changes to UK border requirements can have a direct impact on Bermuda’s ability to facilitate secure and efficient international travel.’
Hayward said that under the new Order, nationals of Botswana, the Northern Part of Cyprus, Ivory Coast, Naura, Nicaragua, Palestine, and St. Lucia are considered visa-controlled and will require a multi-re-entry visa issued by the US, UK or Canada to enter Bermuda.
‘I must note that countries being removed from this list of visa-controlled nationals are Indonesia and Taiwan,’ he said, adding that the new Prohibition of Entry Order will be effective once gazetted.
Hayward said that a second step being taken to strengthen the integrity of Bermuda’s immigration system involves addressing the issue of sham marriages, noting that these are marriages entered into primarily for immigration or other legal benefits rather than to establish a genuine marital relationship.
‘While the vast majority of marriages are genuine, marriages can also be used to circumvent immigration controls. Recognising this, many countries have introduced safety measures to protect the integrity of their immigration systems while preserving the rights of genuine couples,’ Hayward said.
‘In Bermuda, we realise that there is no definition of ‘sham marriage’, nor is there the authority to investigate suspicious cases. This results in vulnerabilities and gaps in our immigration system. ‘
Hayward said that the authorities have developed a policy framework to be shared with the public which defines ‘a sham marriage as a marriage entered into primarily to obtain an immigration or legal benefit without a genuine intention to establish a shared life together as spouses.
‘We expect most marriage applications will continue through the normal registration process. However, where objective indicators generate reasonable concerns that a proposed marriage may not be genuine, the Registrar will be authorised to refer the matter to the Department of Immigration for further assessment and investigation.’
The Economy and Labour Minister said indicators could include significant inconsistencies in information provided by the marrying parties, documentary irregularities, evidence of financial inducement.
‘Where a sham marriage is established based on evidence, then immigration-related benefits a spouse gets through that marriage could be refused, cancelled, or revoked in accordance with the law.
‘We should note the policy anticipates creating a criminal offence for knowingly entering into or facilitating a sham marriage for the purpose of obtaining an immigration or legal benefit.’
Hayward said with regards to protections for working Bermudians., ythe government is moving to make updates to the Closed and Restricted Job Categories.
‘Recognising the critical role the insurance and reinsurance sectors play in our economy, we are taking steps to ensure that key entry-level positions in these businesses remain available for our people.
‘Many Bermudians have experienced notable success in these industries and can directly link their success to the entry-level opportunity they were provided,’ Hayward said, adding that ‘we consulted industry associations and clarified that the intention here is to protect the entry-level roles for Bermudians.’
He said to that end, the Closed Job Category will be updated to include entry-level underwriting administration and underwriting roles which may include underwriting assistance, assistant underwriters and trainee underwriters; entry-level insurance claims roles which may include claims assistant and claims associate and enter-level brokerage roles which may include broker assistant and junior broker.
‘Avenues for success must remain available for Bermudians, and employment opportunities such as these must remain accessible,’ hayward said, adding that these changes to the Closed and Restricted Job Categories will be in effect from September 8 this year.