Bermudian status is the legal and social status of being recognised as a citizen of Bermuda. It is granted to individuals who were either born in Bermuda or possess a qualifying Bermudian connection and have lived in Bermuda for ten continuous years preceding their application.

Bermudian status confers certain rights and privileges, such as the ability to live and work freely, the right to vote, access to public services, and owning property in Bermuda.

A Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC) holder refers to an individual who has decided to reside in Bermuda for the long term and does not require a work permit. Obtaining a PRC is done by your employer, who has several criteria they must prove; you must also have resided in the territory for ten years. Once granted, it also provides a route to applying for British Overseas Territory Citizenship via naturalisation should you wish to.

As a PRC holder, you can live and work in Bermuda and purchase Bermuda property within specific criteria. However, you cannot vote, and at the time of writing, there are no clear criteria to advance to Status holder.

Long-term residents of Bermuda have been on a Work Permit and have resided for at least 20 years on the islands. With these criteria, the government is considering new pathways for long-term residents to be able to apply for their PRC. If this change were to happen, it would benefit LTR work permit holders and their employers, who would no longer need to renew their work permits and pay the related fees.

A work permit can be granted to an individual once they have been offered a position by a Bermuda-based employer, as long as it is to the satisfaction of the Department of Immigration that there is a proven need for a work permit. Like other offshore jurisdictions, preference will be given to Bermudians and spouses of Bermudians or PRC holders; we will discuss these requirements later in this article. 

Each work permit is tied to a specific job at a particular employer and lasts for a specified time. There are a few types of work permits, depending on the needs of the role and the employer, and we will explain the differences between Standard, Short-Term, Global and Periodic Work Permits later in this blog. 

Work permit fees are based on their type and length.

• Standard or Periodic Work Permit from $1015 for one year and up to $6510 for five years.
• Short-Term Work Permit from $705 for three months and up to $1070 for six months.
• Global Work Permit from $1955 for one year and up to $7460 for five years.

The Department of Immigration in Bermuda refers to a dependent of a work permit holder as a partner who has been living with the applicant in a relationship akin to a marriage for at least two years before the date of application. This is not an absolute guideline and is indicative only. The time may be reviewed under certain circumstances if partners live in different jurisdictions. 

The Department of Immigration will ask you and your partner to provide evidence that you are in a genuine and subsisting relationship. Some of these factors are:

• You have been co-habiting and can provide satisfactory evidence, e.g. a joint mortgage/tenancy agreement, a joint bank account/savings, and utility bills in both your names.
• You have children together (biological, adopted or step-children) and share responsibility for them.
• You have visited the other partner's home country and family and can provide evidence.
• You have made definite plans concerning the practicalities of living together in Bermuda.

A visitor is typically granted entry for a maximum of 180 days, and at the end, a visitor is expected to depart Bermuda. The Department of Immigration expects visitors who wish to stay longer to apply for permission to reside annually. You must note that you cannot search for work as a visitor; you must secure a job in Bermuda before coming to the island.

1. An employer must conduct a genuine search for a suitable Bermudian, Spouse of a Bermudian or PRC holder by advertising the vacancy. These advertisements must be posted in the local newspaper and on the Bermuda job board for eight consecutive days
2. The employer will undergo the typical recruitment process, shortlisting and interviewing until they find their desired hire. If the desired individual requires a work permit, the employer needs to demonstrate that there is no sufficient local talent to fill the conditions of the vacancy.
3. Suppose a Bermudian, Spouse of a Bermudian or PRC holder candidate applies; in that case, the employer must demonstrate why these individuals were not selected and how/why the hire chosen is a better fit for the role, including any correspondence with these applicants.
4. The Immigration Board will review the application and decide on the outcome; they may approve, deny or defer the application based on the submitted information. 

1. In the initial application for a short-term work permit, the same advertising process as a work permit grant outlined above applies, as the employer must advertise* the position. (*There are some exemptions to advertising short-term work permits, with the main one being if your employer is to extend an existing short-term permit, then they do not need to re-advertise).
2. The application is submitted to the Department of Immigration like a regular work permit. The department will review and decide on the outcome; they may approve, deny or defer the application based on the submitted information.

You only want to book your flight to Bermuda once you have the letter stating that your application was approved, or you could be at risk of being turned away at the port of entry and putting your application at risk.