THE BUYER

A 46-year-old Bermudian told The Royal Gazette how he risked losing his dream property because of the new law.

The man — married to a non-Bermudian for nine years and nine months — has been advised by his lawyer that he must get a licence to purchase a home in St. George's, even though his wife is not named on the deeds or a signatory on the mortgage.

He described the news as "devastating" and said he feared the seller of the property he wants to buy won't be prepared to wait for the licence to come through or for his wife to gain Bermudian status.

The man — who did not want to be identified — was initially told the licence could take four to six months but has been advised that the Department of Immigration is trying to reduce that time to three weeks.

His wife will be able to get Bermudian status after they have been married for ten years — but the man said that process could take three to nine months.

"I don't know how many Bermudians are married to non-Bermudians, but I think that any law that, in effect, discriminates against the Bermudian half is wrong," he said. "The new law is ill conceived and the effect will make property ownership much more difficult and expensive."

He added: "If the law is retroactive, there are going to be a lot of people mad as hell. It's a mess. It's so confusing and it needs to be cleared up. There are seriously heavy fines if you don't do it properly. Sometimes the law is an ass."