Immigration Minister David Burch lashed out at sham marriages yesterday saying his office was being deluged with on-again, off-again pleadings from spouses in turmoil.

He said he was getting daily complaints from Bermudians, particularly women.

He told the Senate: "I get both sides, depending what week it is. One week it's 'I love him and want him to stay.' The next week it's 'I want him gone, make him go.' Well we must operate under the rule of law in terms of spousal rights."

Bermudian women tended to hook up with Jamaican men while Bermudian men were going for Spanish speaking types, claimed Sen. Burch. "It's either the Philippines, Panama or the Dominican Republic."

He said if couples came in to pledge their commitment to the Immigration Department there was little Government could do under the law to intervene.

But he added: "Now I am not a defeatist. Hearing that, especially from lawyers, is really an incentive to come up with a solution.

"I have tasked the technical officers to define for me what within the policies of Immigration are at my disposal to implement because I am prepared to go the whole hog."

Sen. Burch said he was tempted to revoke every spousal letter to every foreign spouse and require them all to go on work permits. "I am on the radical page. I am tired."

And he urged Bermudians not to pester Immigration complaining about the ups and downs of their marriage.

"Do not write me! Do not write to the Department of Immigration. Get legal.

"I am not this week going to honour your commitment to let them stay and then next week you are terrorising me to get them the hell out of here. It is not right or correct.

"You didn't ask me for permission before you say 'I do', don't come round and try to influence the Department about what it should be doing we must operate within the law."

And he said a reality check was needed for the "behaviour of some Bermudians" who were harbouring foreigners they weren't even married to.

"They are going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour."

Also on the topic of Immigration Sen. Burch told the Upper Chamber that processing times were speeding up in various areas.

He said in recent years, applications for Bermudian status and Permanent Resident Certificates would take more than six months to process.

"In 2008, the signing of these certificates as soon as they are received has resulted, in most cases the turnaround of such applications has been reduced, by two to three months."

More than 900 companies are now registered on the work permit status system, and, as a result, the number of phone calls has been significantly reduced, said Sen. Burch.

"This has freed up more time for the Corporate Services Section to focus on actually processing applications."