A campaign group has weighed in on a loophole in the law that allows permanent residents to apply for Bermuda status — and asked Government to suspend applications.

And the People’s Campaign said Parliament should take steps to close the loophole as soon as possible.

A statement by the campaign, signed by union leaders Jason Hayward and Chris Furbert and churchman Rev Nicholas Tweed, said PLP legislation to create Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) holders was never intended to provide a route to Bermuda status.

The statement added: “It is therefore incumbent upon the Government to take immediate action in order to avoid the further deterioration of the issue.”

It warned: “Bermuda is now witnessing the growth of polarising lines, in which people are either demonised as being ‘xenophobic or anti-foreigner’ or they are accused of giving citizenship away for ‘30 pieces of silver.’”

The statement said that changing the law to end applications for status would restore the original intent of the law creating PRCs.

The People’s Campaign said that Government could then review the entire process of granting Bermuda status if it wanted to.

The statement added: “Such a review should be guided by a desire to develop pathways to citizenship which are fair and equitable.

“The pathways should strike a balance between the needs of a small country such as Bermuda and the rights of émigrés.

“The loophole may provide some short-term political expediency in terms of providing potential voters who fall within the traditional demographic of particular political interests.

“However, the long-term damage is that this action would legitimise the already-growing mistrust of so many Bermudians in the integrity of Government. Such actions will continue to fracture and divide the country.”

And the statement said: “We firmly believe that charting the right course on this issue will go a long way towards restoring the confidence of the people in the Government to do the right thing for all the people of Bermuda.”

The People’s Campaign spoke out after a May court ruling by Chief Justice Ian Kawaley upheld a decision by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal by two PRC holders could have full status.

The Opposition PLP later introduced legislation to close the loophole — which was blocked by the ruling OBA on the grounds it was “premature.”

MPs were told that Government had engaged a QC to look at the ruling and that there could be an appeal against the decision to the Privy Council.

And the House of Assembly was told that all current applications for status under the legal ruling had been put on hold pending clarification of the law.