New rights for long-term residents could be extended to those who arrived in Bermuda after 1989, Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox has admitted.

And foreigners with fewer than 20 years on the Island could also get new privileges claims Opposition MP Trevor Moniz.

He had a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Paula Cox recently as the Government takes soundings before the tabling proposals for law changes in the upcoming session of the House of Assembly.

The Green Paper discussion document issued last summer appeared to indicate that there was only an obligation to address the plight of those who arrived in Bermuda before 1989 when a moratorium on granting status to long-term residents was imposed.

The Green Paper said: "Those persons who came to Bermuda after July 31, 1989 came to Bermuda without a legitimate expectation that they would be allowed to stay indefinitely or to gain Bermuda status.'' However some expats who arrived after that date were still hoping to get something from the proposed law changes.

Ms Cox was given the opportunity by The Royal Gazette to state that this category of people had false hopes.

But she said: "They might or they might not, we'll see.'' The Green Paper put forward a number of options for dealing with Long-Term Residents but appeared to shy away from the idea of granting full status with voting rights.

It suggested a new category called the Permanent Residents Certificate which would allow long-term residents the right to stay on the Island without having to re-apply for work permits.

It would also grant Permanent Residents Certificate holders the right to buy houses.

Ms Cox said people could still make representations on the Green Paper and she said the Government was on course to keep its promise to table a White Paper, which is a precursor to legislation, in the summer session of Parliament which begins on May 18 and will finish in July.

She said: "As soon as it is done it will be tabled.

Mr. Moniz said of his meeting with Ms. Cox: "They are still looking at a Permanent Residents Certificate but they intend to broaden it a bit from the Working Residents Certificate (WRC) where you had to be here 20 years and you had to be working.'' Mr. Moniz said that meant non-working spouses of WRC holders could not get residency rights.

"They intend to correct that, they are looking at that issue. There is some indication they might go a good bit further.

"We have always said 20 years, they might reduce that number. Of course I don't want to pre-empt what they are going to do.'' "They could ease up one rule and tighten up another.''