The Immigration Department is taking on extra staff to cope with an expected rush of applications from long term residents applying for Bermudian status or permanent resident's certificates (PRC).

Acting Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Senator David Burch made the announcement yesterday and also revealed that Immigration is holding off accepting applications until October 31 to allow Immigration to prepare.

Three temporary additional staff will be hired for a six month period and an outside consultant will be hired to design a new database to expedite the applications.

Immigration will also implement a long term residents' telephone enquiry line and take measures to minimise the negative impact processing new applications may cause to previous operations.

Sen. Burch revealed the changes at a press conference just one day after the Immigration and Protection Amendment Act 2002 was passed in the Senate.

He said the efforts were necessary because of the history of other policies that received heavy responses.

"It is significant to note that when the working resident's certificate policy came into effect, 400 of the 550 applications reached the Department within the first month.

"Immigration received literally hundreds of telephone calls from members of the public following the tabling of the White Paper on Long Term Residents in the House of Assembly.

"More recently, the tabling of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment Bill 2002 resulted in hundreds of people collecting working resident's applications forms and long-term resident's children's forms.

"Therefore, based upon that history, the Department of Immigration expects a rush of applications once the provisions of the new legislation take effect."

In response to the enforcement of the Act being delayed until autumn, Sen. Burch said: "The Government regrets that it will not be possible to implement provisions of the new legislation immediately.

"However, acknowledging the challenges that currently exist within the Department of Immigration, the Government has mandated the setting of a realistic implementation date."

During the interim, the Department will spearhead a major public relations campaign that will set out the eligibility criteria for Bermudian status and PRCs and provide details of the new fee schedule. In addition, a "user-friendly" version of the Act will be detailed in a brochure.

The Act, which is soon to become law, will grant Bermudian status to a sibling all of whose brothers and sisters are Bermudian, a parent all of whose children are Bermudian and those registered as voters on the Parliamentary Register before May 1,1976. Qualified individuals must be of good character and conduct and have had ordinary residence in Bermuda for a minimum of 20 years.

The PRC will provide security of employment and residence to other long term residents.

Holders will be entitled to reside in Bermuda indefinitely and seek employment without restriction. It will also see that those already employed can continue work without a work permit and those wishing to retire and reside in Bermuda may do so without applying for additional permission.

An applicant for the PRC must also demonstrate good character and conduct and must prove that and he or she was ordinarily resident in Bermuda before August 1, 1989 and be at least 40 years old on the date of application.

Residents holding the work resident's certificates, which was introduced in 1998, must still apply for a PRC as some years have passed since they proved their eligibility.

If the WRC holder has continued to be a resident in accord with the PRC guidelines and are of good character and conduct they may be granted a PRC without having to pay an additional fee.

PRCs may also be granted to special groups deemed permanent residents in cases of hardship.

Applicants should receive their PRC within three to four months of making an application.

But the cost of filing an application has not yet been determined as the Act must first be signed into law before fees can be tabled.

Details of the relaxed land policy which will allow PRC holders to acquire a unit in a condominium complex or purchase a single unit house, will also be detailed in the near future.

Government estimates that 400 people will be eligible for Bermudian status and another 1,100 eligible for PRCs.