Ten-year work permits will be available soon and have been in the pipeline for two years, according to the Home Affairs Minister.

On Thursday Senator David Burch held a meeting for Bermudians in the international business sector to discuss term limits.

In a recording of the meeting, given to The Royal Gazette, Sen. Burch was asked if he would issue ten-year work permits previously it was reported he would not be issuing them despite new fees being passed to allow the new limit.

At the meeting, he said: "I never said that. In the Senate I highlighted a number of things that were new to immigration, the policy was not in place yet and a few days later the media asked about it. I said 'I am not too keen today to contemplate that'.

"As soon as the policy is in place and we have applications we will issue them."

The meeting was held at the Berkeley Institute where about 400 Bermudians working at all levels of international businesses, from receptionists to CEOs, came to express their views on term limits.

The policy, which limits expatriate workers to six years on the Island unless they receive an extension or waiver, has come under fire since it was implemented in 2001 with many organisations saying it puts Bermuda at a disadvantage compared to other jurisdictions.

Sen. Burch also told the meeting: "The reason I am in this is to effect change. The reason I am sitting here, writing down notes, is because I am listening and I will take away what you have said and make a great effort. I will look at this whole business of term limits.

"I cannot convince just the Tuesday crowd to do away with term limits. The representation of Bermudians in this room is not representative of the whole community.

"I have to bring them with me, I have to convince them how they benefit, get them to understand how that contributes to their success as well.

"It is not just for me to say 'off we go, away with term limits'. Bermudians not in international business need to understand how we decided that and why."

It is thought that the 'Tuesday crowd' refers to Cabinet, which meets on Tuesdays.

He said the implementation of ten-year term limits was not new and had been on the cards since he became the Minister responsible for the Department of Immigration.

"I had, in 2008, a conversation with companies that this is where we were heading," he said. "Nobody heard me and so whilst it appears that it was revealed on March 26 it has been out there for two years now that this is where we were heading.

"I will happily bring my team, come myself, do whatever, to talk to any company direct and answer any challenge they have with Immigration. We certainly are supportive of international business, we have made more money in the ten years the PLP has been in Government than previously. I think if you are going to use any measure of success, profit would be the most compelling one."

One woman at the meeting, who heads up the human resources department at her international firm, said all the applications made by her company for waivers or exemptions from term limits had been granted. She said many of the expatriates were hard working and involved in charities and that the perception was that the term limits were unwelcoming and bad for business.

She added: "We have to do a better job, we need you, Government, to do a better job of selling the importance of having guest workers in Bermuda. I think everybody in this room knows we are not going to grow enough Bermudians to come over and take over these jobs."

Sen. Burch replied: "You said it yourself, you got everything you asked for. So the reality is it worked for the company, but there still is the perception that it is bad for business. The reality is it works.

"Often times we have Cayman Islands trotted out as a threat, as our competition. They often copy us, in the case of term limits they did that too, but they enshrined it in legislation so they had to go back and fix it. Ours is a policy.

"The reality is folks are getting what they ask for, everything you ask for, there still is a perception the policy is unfair, I am not sure what you want.

"Bermudians in the industry have to carry that message too [that guest workers are good for Bermuda]. The reality is yes I am hiring Bermudians and others are getting waivers and creating jobs."

* See Opinion for the full text of Senator Burch's speech.