nationals will no longer need a local sponsor to enter Bermuda.

Home Affairs Minister the Hon. Irving Pearman made the announcement after meeting with a group of Jamaican residents last week.

And association president Mrs. Shawnette Caines said the move was long overdue.

Mr. Pearman explained that pre-clearance procedures for visiting Jamaicans were put in place years ago when the Jamaican government imposed a strict and very limited currency export restriction on Jamaicans travelling abroad.

"They were allowed to take the equivalent of about US$50 with them when they left Jamaica,'' he said. "As a result, a process was put in place whereby Jamaican nationals who visited Bermuda were required to have a local sponsor who would be financially responsible for their normal living expenses.

"Now that the Jamaican government has removed its currency restrictions, and Jamaicans are able to buy and export foreign exchange as they wish, the Bermuda pre-clearance restrictions have been dropped, and Jamaican nationals will be treated in the same way as nationals of other countries.'' However, Mr. Pearman said Jamaicans -- like other nationals -- would have to show they have sufficient funds to support themselves during their visit.

Many relatives of Jamaican residents were professionals living in the US or UK who could afford to visit Bermuda, said Mrs. Caines. But they found the pre-clearance procedure inconvenient and discriminatory.

"That was a very unfair system,'' said Mrs. Caines who stressed that the association had been fighting for years to have the procedure dropped.

"This was not an across-the-board thing where other people coming into the country had to do so, so we saw this as blatant discrimination against Jamaicans.'' "I'm really elated about this news,'' she added. "Jamaicans have given service to every asset of community and a few bad apples should not be allowed to spoil it for the rest of the bunch.''