A woman’s hopes of returning to work in her “homeland” have been dashed after being told she does not have the required Bermudian status to begin her new job.

Roycelynn Harris Booth was adopted by a Bermudian father in 1972 and lived on the Island for 16 years as she grew up.

She told The Royal Gazette that she had always believed she had Bermudian status as a result of the adoption proceedings that her parents pursued through the courts.

But immigration officials say they have no record of her gaining Bermudian status and have told her that her parents should have applied for status when she was 21.

“I feel like my rights to live in Bermuda have been taken away from me with no just cause,” Ms Booth said.

“I was born in the US and moved to Bermuda when I was nine years old.

“My mother, who was also an American, married a Bermudian who adopted me in 1972.

“I grew up in Bermuda and throughout that time I had dual citizenship and all the rights of a Bermudian.

“I attended primary school at Central School in Pembroke and high at school St George’s Secondary School and then Prospect Secondary School for Girls.

“I was married to a Bermudian and had a son with him, who now lives in the US.

“I would like to relocate back to my native Bermuda and find full-time employment.”

Ms Booth applied for a job with Bermuda Healthcare Services (BHCS) last year as a medical records clerk, and was offered the position.

But when she arrived in Bermuda to begin work at the start of the year, she was brought before the Immigration Department.

The founder and executive chairman of BHCS, Dr Ewart Brown, told The Royal Gazette: “We offered her employment at BHCS because we assumed that she was a Bermudian.

“We were shocked to learn of her interaction with Immigration.”

Ms Booth added: “I found a job with Bermuda Healthcare Services and was due to report to work on January 5.

“I arrived in Bermuda on January 2 and was stopped by immigration because I entered the country as an American citizen on a one-way ticket.

“I was then taken to an immigration officer and interviewed.

“I was told that I did not have the status to work in Bermuda and that the immigration laws had changed from when I was adopted 30 years ago.

“I was told that when I was 21 my parents should have applied for permanent status with the Immigration Department. I produced my adoption certificate but that made no difference.

“My mother and stepfather were never told of this extremely important fact during my adoption process because if they had been, I was living in Bermuda when I was 21, and they would have certainly applied for status.”

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Home Affairs told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the ministry would not discuss individual cases.

“It is well-established policy not to comment on individual cases,” she said.

“There are also well established lines of communication in respect of issues that may arise.

”If someone believes they have received an incorrect answer to a query they are welcome to contact the Chief Immigration Officer rather than sensationalise their issue through the press.”