Hundreds of non-Bermudians have become eligible for Permanent Residence Certificates as a result of the changes to the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 that became effective December 1, a government spokesman has said.

The Department of Immigration began accepting applications on January 1, but government confirmed that as many as 500 could be eligible to apply, with the government already making them available as of March 1.

Application fees vary from $3,500 to $10,000. No information on how many applications have been submitted so far.

Prior to this, according to the spokesman, only a few people every year were getting Permanent Residence Certificates.

The legislative amendments were part of measures designed to keep families together and provide a fair path to permanent residency; enable long-term residents to fully participate economically; support Bermuda in the retention of its residential population; and, represent a key policy initiative in support of Bermuda’s Economic Recovery Plan.

PRCs are now available to 20-year residents, parents of Bermudians, and children born to second generation PRCs.

The changes fulfilled a PLP platform promise to provide a framework for persons to obtain permanent residency in Bermuda.

In response to questions from The Royal Gazette, a government spokesman said: “We've opened up everything in terms of PRC to a lot more people. So we've estimated that it's at least 400 to 500 people who could get PRC as a result of the changes.”

(See what this means for real estate, Business, pages 9, 10.)