The Immigration Minister yesterday lambasted the Opposition's pledge to grant Bermudian status to long-term residents and their children.

Derrick Burgess told a press conference that giving Bermudian status to those with Permanent Residents Certificates and their families would lead to another 8,000 citizens, placing housing under even more pressure.

The UBP's election platform says: "Whilst the (Government's) granting of Permanent Resident status was a step in the right direction it has created a second-class tier of citizen in Bermuda.

"The United Bermuda Party recognises the inequities in the existing system whereby some members of one family unit have Permanent Residency and others have Bermuda Status. This inequity is particularly prevalent in the Portuguese and West Indian communities."

The Party this week pledged to review the system and grant Bermudian Status to long-term residents who have lived on the Island for more than 20 years, and who arrived prior to the 1989 moratorium.

If elected to power on December 18, it says it will issue guidelines for review within a White Paper, "with the aim of becoming law within that first year of government".

But Mr. Burgess yesterday criticised the proposals as unbeneficial to Bermudians. He said: "The UBP say they will give long-term residents and their children Bermudian status.

"Just for the record, the 2000 Census report shows that our 4,000 non-Bermudians who arrived prior to August 1, 1989, if the UBP were to give them what they say they will, that figure can multiply to between 6-8,000, when you take into account their families.

"How would that benefit Bermuda and Bermudians? These folks would be able to buy any houses they could afford, and we have very little land left.

"We all know the cost of property in Bermuda is very high, so if we give 4,000-plus Bermudians status, again the question is, how would that benefit Bermuda and Bermudians?"

He added: "Bermuda is 20.6 square miles, 13,800 acres — 6,000 of those acres which are zoned residential, and 37 percent of that is owned by non-Bermudians — probably the highest percentage in the world. Now if we were to give the 4,000-plus people status what do you think would happen to our children and grandchildren? How would it benefit Bermudians?"

MP Terry Lister, PLP candidate for Sandys South, said: "When the PLP was elected in 1989 the Government saw fit to stop the status granted that created a continuum for people going on and on.

"Those people in 1989 had already been here ten-15 years so we addressed the situation with the Permanent Resident status. That was to be the end of the problem, by mixing that and marrying it with a very sensible term limit policy. The persons who came in from abroad were to be able to come and work here for a limited number of years and not to have this feeling that 'maybe this year, maybe next year, I'll get to be a Bermudian'.

"When we acted in 1998 it was to do end that train of thought. What the UBP is considering again is an opportunity to recreate a problem that this Government solved."

Mr. Lister said: "We went through a very challenging process as to what a Permanent Residents Certificate would be, sought the views of people all over the Island, and then we came to what we thought would be a fair solution.

"In the past three to four years I've never heard people in this group complain about their status. If they look at their lives post-1998 compared to between 1989-1998, their lives are far better, given what the PLP chose to do. It's disingenuous to come along now and throw this bone out and give these people something they are desirous of. I've never heard they were desirous of it in the first place."

Last night the UBP responded by saying Government's position was based on "unreliable" figures. "The numbers quoted are substantially exaggerated," said a Party spokesman.

"We wonder why the statement refers to the 2000 Census rather than specific numbers of those persons who have been granted PRCs and are still in Bermuda, and were here before 1989.

"Does the Immigration Department not keep accurate records? The Census numbers are, in our view, highly unreliable and out-of-date for the present purpose. We have indicated that we will bring in a White Paper which will consider the full range of policy options and settle on a policy which does justice to Bermuda and Bermudians."

The Royal Gazette was yesterday unable to obtain an up-to-date figure on the number of Permanent Residents Certificates issued since the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 2002. However, in March 2004, Government reported 869 had been granted from an estimated 1,100 people were eligible to apply.

A PRC provides security of employment and residence to long-term residents. Holders are entitled to live in Bermuda indefinitely and seek employment without restriction. They can also retire on the Island.