Department approval continued to draw sharp criticism yesterday.

The permitted length of stay without Immigration approval was recently cut to three weeks from three months without any announcement or prior notice from Government.

The move was intended to help stop illegal workers who arrive in Bermuda as visitors.

Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman said the policy would apply "primarily'' to visitors staying in private homes, rather than in hotels or guest houses.

He said the policy could be relaxed within a few months.

But his statements did little to mollify critics.

Realtor Lt. Col. Craigin Curtis, president of First Properties of Bermuda Ltd., yesterday described the change as "disgraceful''.

"We are irate -- we are furious about this thing,'' he said.

The change could have an adverse impact on well-heeled visitors who rented homes in Bermuda for months at a time, contributing substantially to the economy, he said.

He telephoned the Immigration Department, but "couldn't get a straight answer'' as to whether that was the case.

Wealthy visitors did not want to fill out forms, he said. They should be welcomed with open arms, not "treated like a bunch of scum''.

Mr. Anthony Goodfellow, chairman of the international companies division of the Chamber of Commerce, said members had expressed concern about the new rule.

Relatives of residents who worked for international companies would be affected when they came to visit, he said. "It's an aggravation,'' he said.

Shadow Tourism Minister Mr. David Allen said he was "amazed and disturbed'' by the policy.

"We should be doing all in our power to encourage people to stay longer, not less,'' he said.

Bermuda was spending millions of dollars to increase its share of visitors from Europe. Germans and other European visitors averaged lengths of stay twice as long as visitors from America, Mr. Allen said.

"It's not unusual to have a German visitor staying at least three weeks, or more,'' he said.

And how would the rule be enforced, he asked. It was not unusual for visitors to spend their first week in Bermuda at a hotel, and then move to the home of a friend or relative. How would a hotel be defined? Guest houses with fewer than five rooms did not need a licence.

A Government spokesman said Immigration Officers at the Airport can exercise discretion about the three-week rule.