In response to the Chamber of Commerce's call for a ‘major' immigration reform, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has said that an internal work permit policy review has already started.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”.The Chamber's executive director Joanne MacPhee made the call for immigration changes on Tuesday in a speech to Hamilton Rotarians and in comments made in an interview with this newspaper.Minister of Economy, 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”.According to the Minister, it is anticipated that new procedures will reduce the processing time for a substantive work permit from ten weeks to four weeks.“In fact, clients may have already started to experience quicker processing times as a result of some preliminary changes that have already been implemented,” said the Ministry.Minister Minors added that the new Job Creators Act 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,” she said. “These executives can apply for a Permanent Resident's Certificate once they meet the eligibility requirements.”According to the Ministry, two ten-year work permits have already been issued since November 2011 and there are potential applications pending.Minister Minors added: “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.”The Chamber called for the abolishment of term limits, to which the Ministry responded: “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.”