The Department of Immigration has tightened up on its processing of work permits in a move which is upsetting some employers, The Royal Gazette has learned.

A letter to employers from Chief Immigration Officer Martin Brewer, which was obtained by this paper, addresses concerns from employers that work permit issuing policies have changed or that decisions lack consistency.

"Neither of those perceptions are true,'' wrote Dr. Brewer.

"The policies have not been changed, but are being applied more rigorously than they have been in the past.

"The technical officers are researching files more thoroughly and presenting the Board with detailed information on each case.

"Because the policies are being strictly applied, those employers who, in the past, got away with applications outside policy, no longer do so.

"To them it may appear that policies have changed or that they are being applied inconsistently.'' However, employers can expect changes in policy beginning around the end of November, revealed Dr. Brewer, and they would be notified of these.

Before then employers can meet with Immigration Minister Paula Cox and staff at the department if they wish to have their concerns heard or hear directly about what changes the department is making.

Bermuda Employers Council chief executive Malcolm Dixon said he had received a copy of the letter and the organisation was now in the process of organising a meeting with the department's technical officers.

"We have done this before and they have been very successful,'' noted Mr.

Dixon, who backed the department's "proactive'' move.

The letter also addresses concerns from employers that the time for processing applications -- the "turnaround'' time -- is longer than it should be.

Dr. Brewer pointed out that 80 percent of applications were completed within four weeks.

And long turnaround times were formerly masked by the practice of expediting applications employers identified as urgent, he revealed.

"As might have been expected,'' he wrote, "eventually the exception became the rule.

"Accommodating these emergencies has badly affected the turnaround time for regular applications. Therefore that practice has been stopped.'' These problems are being addressed, continued Dr. Brewer, with the secondment of a civil servant to assist in solving underlying problems and bringing a new computer system on-line.

The Work Permits Officer post should be filled in a few weeks and further temporary staff are being recruited while the computer system is installed.

Brewer addresses work permits This computer system, said Dr. Brewer, is being implemented with the goal of making the work permit application process more efficient and turnaround times should become more consistent and significantly shorter than at present.

Meanwhile a policy for dealing with emergency applications is being developed, said Dr. Brewer.

"Genuine emergencies need to be addressed,'' he admitted. "The current problem is that accommodating emergencies has been at the expense of longer turnaround times for all other applications.

"Provided the emergency applications can be successfully limited and accommodated, employers should begin to see turnaround times stabilising and then decreasing toward the three or four-week standard.'' Very much linked to the changes taking place in the department, stressed Dr.

Brewer, "is the notion of fairness across the board and transparency''.