Premier Michael Dunkley has denied being issued a seven-day ultimatum by campaigners who want Government to reconsider its stance on the granting of Bermuda Status to some Permanent Resident Certificate holders.

More than 500 people took to the streets of Hamilton on Friday to march from Victoria Park to the Cabinet Building to call for Government to close a loophole granting Status.

The event was organised by pressure group the People’s Campaign and the unions.

People’s Campaign leader Reverend Nicholas Tweed presented a letter to the Premier that urged Government to suspend any Status applications until an immigration reform policy had been drawn up.

After the demand was handed over, Bermuda Industrial Union president Chris Furbert told the crowd the Premier had been given seven days to respond to the request or risk further demonstrations.

But Mr Dunkley said last night that contrary to public comments by march organisers, the letter to the Government did not state a deadline for response.

“While I won’t get into the specifics of the document presented, I think it’s unreasonable for the People’s Campaign leadership to make such a public declaration regarding a deadline without formally including it in the documentation provided on Friday,” Mr Dunkley said.

“On Friday, I acknowledged that I appreciated the views shared by the People’s Campaign and their supporters, and what I committed to do was to confer with my colleagues with a view of providing a response once we have discussed the matter.

“It’s important to point out that if the campaign organisers are genuine in their pursuit, they cannot realistically expect a seven-day solution.

“The reality is that there is agreement on the fundamental issue — both campaigners and the Government agree that there should be a path to status for PRCs that meet certain criteria. The primary issue is around the process that should be applied.

“Perhaps this serves as an opportunity for us to engage in an appropriate discussion regarding this matter. To this end, a reasoned approach and realistic time frame is required.”

The Premier also called for calm while the issue was resolved.