Immigration Director Rozy Azhar said those companies seeking good corporate citizen (GCC) status should consistently exercise best practices including:

n Actively, attracting, recruiting and training Bermudians.

n Providing training programmes and opportunities for Bermudians.

n Producing clear and correct employment advertisements.

Disclosing full information to Immigration about the company?s selection procedure and interview process.

Submitting fully completed and accurate applications.

n Exercising Immigration and employment practices without there being the need for intervention from the Department of Immigration, Labour and Industrial Relations or the Human Rights Commission.

Show what other activities the company has used to support the development of Bermudians, including and not limited to offering scholarships or liasing with the National Training Board.

Ms Azhar said companies that employ staff in areas where there is a defined shortage or who hold work permits for ?key employees? can benefit from applying for GCC status.

In specific, the benefits to a firm are they can be granted permission-in-principle for the fast tracking of one to five-year applications and also to be able to apply for a waiver of six-year term limits in categories where there is a ?severe shortage?.Actuary; butcher; chartered accountant; chef; insurance broker; registered nurse; senior catastrophe and finite insurance/reinsurance modelling analysts; senior underwriters and technically skilled specialists in information systems/technology fields.Senior executives, including CEO, partner, and chairman through vice-president; managers with global responsibility; senior financial staff including CFO, treasurer, controller, specialised qualified accountants and quantitative modelling analyst; special legal staff including general counsel, specialist attorneys, qualified legal librarian and knowledge managers; senior insurance posts such as senior underwriters and senior claims adjusters; experienced/specialised brokers; actuaries; specialist investment traders/analysts; and senior IT engineers/managers.

Ms Azhar said the no-fee application should have the following components:

A covering letter addressed to the Chief Immigration Officer.

An organisation chart which identifies the Bermudians already employed by the firm.

A description of the company?s efforts in attracting and recruiting Bermudians.

A list of internal training programmes and external opportunities provided to Bermudians by the employer.

Any other ways the company supports the development of Bermudians.

A list of categories, key positions and/or persons for which the company is applying to have permission-in-principle and a list of work permit holders ? including name, position, qualifications and experience ? that the company wants to be considered for a waiver of term limits.