About 30 people met to discuss immigration issues surrounding adoption as part of the first public meeting of the Immigration Working Group hosted by the Bermuda Public Services Union last night.

Any person who is adopted by a Bermudian is deemed to be Bermudian until their 22nd birthday. In order to achieve Bermudian status, the child must be adopted before they turn 17 and apply for status before they turn 22.

However under proposed legislation, children under the age of 12 would be automatically awarded Bermudian status when adopted by a Bermudian. The amendments would make no changes for children above the age of 12, who would still be required to apply for status after five years.

The audience was informed that in the last year, around five adoptions were finalised. The majority of those were said to be cases of adoption by a step-parent, and the majority of children adopted were over the age of 12.

One of the main questions raised during discussions about the proposed amendments was that of the age limit of 12. Glenda Edwards, a former supervisor at Family Services who helped draft the Adoption Act 2006, said during discussions at that time some expressed concerns over “adoptions of conveniences”.

Meanwhile, lawyer Rick Woolridge noted that internationally there are serious concerns about sex trafficking and grooming in cases of teenage children. Some, however, questioned if the requirement for older children to apply for status would prove an additional burden for parents.

Other members of the public questioned how many children can be adopted by a home. While the audience members were told that there is no legislated limit on the number of children that can be adopted by a household, all adoptions are strictly and carefully assessed to ensure that the potential parents can support their children financially and emotionally. Another issue raised during discussion was the difference made by the location where a child’s adoption takes place.

Update: This article had been edited to state that Glenda Edwards was involved in the drafting of the Adoption Act 2016, not the proposed amendments as was previously stated.