Bermuda Party "report card'' carried in The Royal Gazette .

He was speaking after a long-term resident queried item 12 in the Page 9 advertisement in Wednesday's newspaper which said: "Grant Bermudian status for those with close Bermuda family ties -- Signed into law.'' One overseas resident -- a long-term resident without status but with a grown-up Bermudian child -- said: "My first reaction was `Where do I sign?' "I was told this didn't cover me -- I thought the way it was phrased was a bit misleading.'' But Mr. Dill said the item referred to an amendment to the Immigration Act passed three years ago covering some long-term residents and children.

The amendment covered cases of a person who had one Bermudian parent, born in the Island, brought up here and "ordinarily resident.'' Mr. Dill said: "At one stage that child wasn't Bermudian if born to a Bermudian mother who was studying abroad, for example.'' The amendment also allowed non-Bermudian spouses of native Islanders unrestricted access to the job market.

The bill also moved to protect spouses of Bermudians whose partners die and reduced the status resident requirement to ten years from 21 years for long-term resident children.

Among the other categories affected were those who thought they were Bermudian but were not, who were allowed status if they had been resident for at least ten years and of good character and conduct.'' Then-Immigration Minister Irving Pearman told the House of Assembly that the changes in the law would strengthen Bermudian families.

But Government was criticised at the time for not addressing the needs of Bermuda's biggest overseas group, long-term residents of Portuguese extraction.

IMMIGRATION IMM