An expatriate beauty therapist has said she will never work in Bermuda again after what she described as a nightmare experience.

Fifty-three-year-old Linda O'Brien came to the Island in April from California having signed a two year contract with Positive Results Ltd.

She sold her successful practice in Beverley Hills along with all her possessions before relocating to Bermuda.

But just two months after arriving, she has been released with only one month's pay and although there is a shortage of qualified beauty therapists in Bermuda, due to immigration regulations she is not permitted to seek alternative employment and must leave on 20th July.

Ms O'Brien said this was particularly devastating because her Bermuda employer did not cover full shipping expenses and as a result she sold up her possessions before relocating.

Now she will have to return to California and replace everything that she sold before she left. She said that all along she felt some apprehension about the move to Bermuda, but was encouraged by the opportunity to offer a new skin care technology on the Island. Ms O'Brien introduced a skin technology known as microdermabrasion to the Positive Results Wellness and Health Centre.

According to Ms O'Brien, her employers led her to believe that they were applying for a full time work permit for her, but it later transpired that they brought her in on a temporary work permit and never made an application for a standard work permit.

Positive Results proprietor, Margaret Every, said yesterday that she had received numerous complaints from longstanding clients about Ms O'Brien.

She said Ms O'Brien had not completed her three month probation period and due to the complaints, the company had decided not to apply for a standard work permit to replace the temporary one.

However one repeat client, - who asked to not be named - said she had several facials with Ms O'Brien and in her opinion she was excellent. The woman added that she had been intending to purchase a series of six treatments and had recommended Ms O'Brien to many friends and co-workers.

“That lady had a unique product, no-one else on the Island was offering and she has vast knowledge about skin and skin products,” she said. “It's a shame. I even gave my husband a treatment as a father's day present and he loved it. He was ready to tell all his friends where to go.”

According to Assistant Chief Immigration Officer Rozy Azhar: “Although a person on a temporary or periodic work permit has permission to work, their residency status is that of visitor.

“Therefore they are not required to submit to the Department a questionnaire form, x-rays, reference letters, etc needed to establish residency. A visitor does not have permission to seek employment. Therefore a person on a temporary permit cannot seek employment and must leave once the work permit has expired.”