The Department of Immigration held the first informal discussion forum for members of the general public on immigration issues at the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

Focusing on personal services such as citizenship, travel documents, and land acquisitions, the question-and-answer session was conducted by chief immigration officer Dr. Martin Brewer, assistant chief immigration officer Rozy Azhar, industry relationship officer Belinda Woolridge and personal services manager Craig Tyrrell.

Previous similar sessions have been held for long-term residents and the business community, however Ms Azhar said the Department felt it was time to allow the general public the chance to ask questions and air their concerns. A further session concentrating on work permits to be held on Thursday is already full, however if members of the public wish to attend Friday's session on investigations and compliance issues they are asked to contact Steven Lambert at the Department of Immigration.

The goal of the sessions, explained Ms Azhar, was to sort out “truth vs. myth”. At the end the Department aims to take all the questions and put them together in a document available to the general public, as well as on the Department's website.

At the session, Mr. Tyrrell discussed several frequently asked questions and answers. Most of those present asked specific questions regarding very particular circumstances, however there was some general information revealed.

For instance, there is no deadline for Bermudians to get one of the new UK passports, permanent resident certificates are looking to hit their four-month target, and Bermudians cannot order passports over the phone.

Every child of a Bermudian, no matter where born, is deemed to have Bermudian status until they are 22. To obtain full Bermudian status, the child needs to apply before the age of 22 and become naturalised to receive a passport.

The Deeming Provision gives children who are not born Bermudians the right to status if they are linked with Bermudian parents - i.e. if the child is born overseas to Bermudian parents who are not domiciled in Bermuda, they can apply for status between the ages of 18 and 22.

Terms such as “domiciled” and “register” were explained: Domiciled, for instance, is a British Commonwealth concept referring to what country one considers their permanent home.

And “register” is the register of Bermudians under the Bermudian Status by Birth or Grant Register Act of 1992. Every Bermudian has the right to be listed on this register, however people are added to the register every day - and if one is not on the register it does not mean they are not Bermudian.

The two-hour session ended to a round of thanks and applause. More information can be found on the Department of Immigration website at www.immigration.gov.bm/.