The Chamber of Commerce has called for “major” immigration reform.Calling for the abolishment of term limits, PRC status for ‘job makers’ and cheaper work permit costs, the Chamber has met with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to submit its suggestions.The Chamber, typically perceived as an advocate for local businesses, has recently been more vocal about a change in international business saying they “lay side by side on important issues, especially such as immigration reform”.Speaking at a Hamilton Rotarian meeting yesterday, executive vice-president of the Chamber, Joanne MacPhee, said that her organisation, along with Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC), is aggressively promoting international business interests.“ABIC and international company members are a vital component of the Chamber’s rich tapestry,” she said. “Let’s be very honest here, the Island’s future depends on the growth and sustainability of international business on this Island. It is imperative that the Chamber does what it needs to do to support their efforts.”The Chamber’s reform ideas include a wider berth for work permits and permanent residency status for executives who bring business to Bermuda.“There has to be a broadening and more flexibility of work permits,” she said in an interview with The Royal Gazette after the Rotary meeting. “Saying we are open for business is not good enough.”Earlier this year, the Ministry of the Economy announced ten-year work permits for senior executives in the international business sector. According to the Chamber, that is not enough.“While some of the measures are useful, there are still too many grey areas,” said Ms MacPhee. “We need to make a bold statement: we need to replace the red tape with a red carpet experience.”While Ms MacPhee said that the ‘ultimate’ position would be for Government to abolish term limits, she believes that will not happen. In the interim, she said, making work permits “easier and quicker” would be a positive step as well as lessening the fees.According to the Government Fee Amendment Regulations Act 2012, the cost of a ten-year permit has been set at $20,000. A fee that Ms MacPhee says is unwelcoming.“It’s rude is what it is,” she said.Since international business executives cannot own homes and cannot hold status, said Ms MacPhee, they are not ‘investing’ in the community.“People feel disenfranchised here,” she said. “There’s no investment opportunities the revenue people make here isn’t staying here because we aren’t allowing it.”Ms MacPhee also said that promotional groups, like Business Bermuda, may have a difficult time attracting business to Bermuda’s shores because the Island lacks ‘new’ incentives for companies.“They [Business Bermuda] don’t have a new story to tell,” she said. “It’s very hard to sell Bermuda when there has been very little change [in work permit solutions] in eight to ten years; there hasn’t been any ‘wow’ factor change.”Ms MacPhee also added that an idea that industry advocates have thought about was a ‘national concierge’ service, that would help guide and assist new companies interested in domiciling here through every step in setting shop in Bermuda.“We have to make people feel wanted here and that we are asking them to stay,” she said.She also said that they are committed to working with the new Business Development Unit, which will see the combination of Business Bermuda and the Insurance Development Council, and contribute their input on various initiatives.Govt reactionThis morning the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a statement and the Minister Patrice Minors said she wants to assure both the local and international business sectors that her Ministry is “striking a balance in these trying times between ensuring that companies are afforded the resources that they need, and ensuring that Bermudians that are available for employment obtain a job for which they are suitably qualified”.However she said that an internal Work Permit Policy review has commenced.The objective of the review is to update and clarify the Work Permit Policy and eliminate the nuisance factors associated with work permit processing such as exaggerated processing times. It should be noted that there are times where delays are attributable to efforts taken to ensure that Bermudians are given every opportunity to apply for jobs, said the statement.It is anticipated that new procedures will reduce the processing time for a substantive work permit from ten weeks to four weeks.The statement said: "In fact, clients may have already started to experience quicker processing times as a result of some preliminary changes that have already been implemented."Ms Minors said: “The Chamber will be aware that the Incentives for Job Creators Act became operational in January 2012 and is aimed at creating a climate that will help keep companies in Bermuda as partners in our country’s long-term future.“Companies that have invested in Bermuda and Bermudians have been encouraged to apply for the benefits, which extends to concessions including having up to five senior executives exempt from work permit control. These executives can apply for a Permanent Resident’s Certificate once they meet the eligibility requirements.“To further ease the recruitment burden and maintain jobs in Bermuda, the ten-year work permit was introduced on the November 1, 2011. To date, two ten-year work permits have been issued and a number of potential applications are pending.”Ms Minors continued: “The environment has changed since the approval of the initial longer term work permit policy with additional pressure to retain jobs here in Bermuda."It is therefore anticipated that the criteria for the ten-Year Work Permit will be extended to senior management teams and/or heads of departments within major companies. This proposed expansion of the eligibility criteria to include Heads of Departments will further complement the Incentives for Job Makers Act 2011.”On the subject of term limits, Minister Minors said: “This is an area that has been the subject of much discussion. The purpose of the term limit policy is to discourage the expectation that work permit approval is tantamount to permanent residence rights in Bermuda.“The reality is that at least 35 percent of work permit holders have been granted waivers from term limits and another 35 percent have been granted extensions. The practical effect is that the policy establishes clarity with respect to the residency issue but is flexible enough so as not to negatively affect the continuity of service of key employees for businesses.”The Government continues to stand by its unifying message of “Let's Build One Another Together”, and thus further consultation with stakeholders as it relates to the Work Permit Policy Review is anticipated in the coming weeks.