action after complaining he was given wrong information about trying to find a new job.

Englishman John Patterson arrived in Bermuda in 1998 but resigned from Front Street advertising firm RB&K in May, 1999, after complaining the company stifled initiative.

Mr. Patterson claims that after he appealed against an Immigration Department decision not to allow him to find a new job, he was told by Immigration staff that he was unable to seek alternative employment until a two year contract had expired.

He told Puisne Judge Norma Wade-Miller yesterday that in his contacts with immigration staff, the rules were not correctly explained to him.

He later found out that one way of being able to leave his job and seek alternative employment was if he could cite bad conduct from his current employer.

Mr. Patterson obtained a judicial review at Supreme Court of the decision by the Cabinet Appeals Tribunal -- which hears objections to decisions made by the Home Affairs Minister -- on its refusal to grant him permission to seek employment.

He told the court: "I did not know specifically that I was bound to an employer unless I could prove bad practice.'' He said an immigration officer did not mention this to him. When he asked how he could go about trying to get another job, he said the officer told him he would need to wait until his current permit expired.

Mr. Patterson is represented by lawyer Victoria Pearman, while Wilhelm Bourne appeared for the Attorney General's Department on behalf of Government.

He said he confronted E-Commerce and Telecommunication Minister Renee Webb, who sits on the Cabinet Appeals Tribunal, about his plight during a scheduled meeting last year to complain about a 17 month delay in obtaining a telephone.

He said Ms Webb said a letter on his file from his former employer had "weighed heavily against you''.