Legislation reforming the process for adopted children to obtain Bermudian status passed at the Senate yesterday.

The Bill, based on recommendations by the Consultative Immigration Reform Working Group, passed in the House of Assembly this month.

Under the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment (Adoption) Act 2016, adopted children with at least one Bermudian parent can now apply for status before their 16th birthday.

Previously, applications were only accepted for those aged 18 to 22 who had lived in Bermuda for five years immediately beforehand.

Progressive Labour Party senator Marc Daniels conceded that he was “not thrilled with the approach or confident with what’s being advanced”, questioning whether the Bill was “airtight”.

“I must express my genuine concerns as to where this is going to lead us and about the abuses that may arise,” he said.

One Bermuda Alliance senator Lynne Woolridge responded by calling the legislation a “no-brainer”, to place adoptees on an even legal footing with children raised by their biological parents.

“If someone wants to form a family unit, whether they adopt a child from within Bermuda or internationally, they want to feel whole,” she said.

OBA senator Michael Fahy said he supported the matter “wholeheartedly”, adding: “This is by far the least contentious of the proposals.

“This piece is the smallest bite of a very, very large cherry, but I’m glad that there is support for it.”

Elsewhere in Senate, the following Bills also passed during the morning session: the Pension Trust Funds Amendment Act 2016, the Police Amendment Act 2016, the Limited Liability Company Act 2016, the Bermuda International Interests in Mobile Equipment (Cape Town Convention) Act 2016, the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Amendment Act 2016 and the Proceeds of Crime Amendment (No 2) Act 2016.

The Upper House also passed the Electronic Communications Spectrum Service Fees Regulations, and the Public Health Amendment (No 2) Act 2016, which covers regulations for food establishments island-wide to trap oil and grease instead of dumping it into the sewerage system.