long-term residents.

Most insisted that the issue should have been addressed "a long time ago'' and several said they were in favour of granting long-term residents a green card.

This came during the second in a series of meetings concerning long-term residents held last night at St. James' Church Hall in Somerset.

During the meeting, with approximately 100 people in attendance, the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety Quinton Edness outlined the main points in the Green Paper on Long-Term Residents.

One of the options contained in the report, which was tabled in the House of Assembly in June, was giving people who have lived in Bermuda for more than 20 years status.

Other options include a one year amnesty -- a one-off chance for status -- or a "green card'' arrangement similar to the one in the US.

One Bermudian argued that long-term residents had choices that were not open to Bermudians. "A lot of them have areas where they can retire,'' he explained. "They have choices that I don't have. If Bermuda goes down, I go down with it. I have nowhere else to go. We have to think of our own.'' Another Bermudian, who expressed sympathy for long-term residents, questioned the impact on housing if long-term residents were granted status.

But one long-term resident argued that not everyone was a threat to Bermudians.

"I came here when I was 11 years old,'' she said. "I have no qualifications, and neither does my husband, so how am I a threat to Bermudians?'' Two weeks ago more than 200 people packed Cathedral Hall to discuss the issue.