children that they still need work permits.

But a foreign parent with custody of Bermudian children can qualify for cheaper $64 work permits which can last from one to five years. Dr. Brewer said all other work permit rules applied -- but the Minister would "be sympathetic'' to other appeals, including waiving rules about advertising the job.

The Royal Gazette revealed earlier this week that ACE Insurance hired assistant underwriter Edmina Bradshaw of Sierra Leone without checking whether or not she needed a work permit.

Divorced Mrs. Bradshaw, who has two Bermudian children, worked for two weeks before it emerged that she needed a permit. Standard work permits cost $507.