allowed to become fully-fledged Bermudians.

Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness last night revealed Government would introduce a new policy on status within the first three months of the New Year.

He told a meeting hosted by the United Bermuda Party's Devonshire South Branch that a Green Paper on status rights for residents would be discussed by the House of Assembly within weeks.

And he said Cabinet would formulate a new policy between January and March 1998, announcing it long before the next General Election.

Mr. Edness told the public forum that 2,034 foreigners in Bermuda had lived on the Island for more than 20 years.

He added: "It's the intention for the Government to announce the new policy some time in the New Year, probably in the first quarter.

"When a policy is agreed, those persons eligible for status will not be able to vote in the next election because they would not be registered in time.

"They would only be eligible to vote in the election after that. So we have no ulterior motive whatsoever in presenting the new policy.'' Mr. Edness said the UBP was considering a number of options "to give more security to long-term residents''.

They include waiving the three-year advertising policy for jobs held by non-Bermudians, giving people with 20 years' residence an automatic right to work or granting full Bermuda status to long-term residents.

Status would either be granted to applicants during a one-year "amnesty'' period or simply become available to people once they have lived on the Island for 20 years.

GOVERNMENT GVT