Charities and volunteer organisations seeking non-Bermudian assistance have to pay for a full work permit in certain circumstances.

This was the news from the Centre for Philanthropy which has uncovered the Immigration Department's policies regarding work permits for volunteers and charity employees.

Centre senior executive Nancy Smythe stressed the rules were not new and had been in existence for quite some time.

Charities were being notified now in case they were not aware of the law, she added.

Centre trustee and lawyer Frank Mutch said organisations requiring services which would normally be performed by a paid employee might require a full work permit -- even if a volunteer filled the position.

The position might also need to be advertised and if a work permit was required then charities had to pay the full fee.

Very few charities had paid employees, said Ms Smythe.

Multi-year work permits for senior executives of voluntary organisations could be applied for as normal, continued Mr. Mutch.

He said temporary work permits -- at the full regular fee -- were required for consultants and trainers who were brought in to assist these organisations.

Ms Smythe pointed out that the length of time a trainer was bought in did not matter -- charities still had to pay the full yearly fee.

But the Immigration Department would normally grant permission for lecturers, coaches, project leaders and public speakers to appear in Bermuda without a work permit, continued Mr. Mutch.

Mr. Mutch stressed that organisations first needed to contact the department "to communicate with them from the outset to ensure there are no misunderstandings''.

Ms Smythe said she preferred to look on the positive side.

When charities reported the names of their non-Bermudian volunteers to the department, she said, it would show the enormous contribution the international business community was making to the Island.

At worst, she continued, it was "burdensome'' to charities who now had the additional task of letting the department know the status of all their volunteers when it had no direct effect on their organisation's output.

Mr. Mutch said a fee was not normally charged for the following situations.

Non-Bermudian volunteers who assisted charities or voluntary organisations -- without being paid and on an ad hoc basis in various projects -- did not require a work permit.

Examples given included Meals on Wheels drivers and National Trust ANTS.

But Ms Smythe questioned the clarity of the description given to a volunteer who did work on an ad hoc basis.

Why was a driver who delivered food any different than a bookkeeper, she asked.

Organisations should give the Immigration Department a list of the names and addresses of their volunteers and the projects they were working on, said Mr.

Mutch.

If the non-Bermudian volunteer was working on a specific job, he continued, the particulars of the volunteer and their work should be given to the department.

Red Cross director Frank Gamble told The Royal Gazette the news did not effect his organisation as the majority of its volunteers were Bermudian.