Ministerial Statement by the Minister of Home Affairs, The Hon. R. Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, JP, MP
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide an update on the British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) passport process. Honourable Members will be aware that, on May 27, 2016, I presented a Ministerial Statement that specifically announced the imminent changes to the British Overseas Territories Citizen (BOTC) process. The key changes included:
- that printing of BOTC passports was to be transferred to Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HMPO), UK; and
- that processing of BOTC passports would take up to four weeks from the time an application is submitted to the Bermuda Passport Office, Department of Immigration.
Mr. Speaker, with the above changes due to take effect at June 29, 2016, I also announced that the Bermuda Passport Office would continue to print passports locally if applications were submitted on or before June 23, 2016. Commensurate with this deadline were conditions on who could or could not apply for a BOTC passport. Public announcements ran via the Royal Gazette, Bernews, CITV, Power 95, Ocean 89, HOTT 1075 FM and Magic 102 FM, to ensure that the changes were communicated far and wide to the general public.
Mr. Speaker, today, I wish to provide an update on the passport process. However, before I do, I wish to acknowledge with gratitude, the hard work of the Bermuda Passport Office. Being led by the Chief Immigration Officer, Dr. Danette Ming and the Personal Services Manager, Ms. Marita Grimes, the entire team pulled together, working around the clock; including late evenings, early mornings, and on weekends, to ensure that the majority of passport applications received up to June 23, 2016 were printed locally.
Mr. Speaker, throughout the course of the period from May 30, 2016 to June 23, 2016, the team witnessed increased numbers in passport applications, per day. Local residents were lined up generally, before 7:30am as the deadline drew close. The normal opening time at the Department of Immigration is at 8:30am. A breakdown of the number of passport applications submitted per day during the last two weeks; i.e. from June 13 to June 23 inclusively, totalling 729 applications, are as follows:
June 13 – 60 June 17 – 61
June 14 – 56 June 21 – 140
June 15 – 49 June 22 – 188
June 16 – 81 June 23 – 214
Total applications received during the entire period, May 30, 2016 to June 23, 2016 numbered 1,130. By comparison, normal volumes per month processed by the Department of Immigration Passport Office number approximately 580 passport applications (for adults and children). So the number of passports received just prior to the transition of the passport process doubled over a period of less than a month.
Mr. Speaker, due to the high volume of applications received on June 23, 2016, consideration had to be given to prioritize applications by travel plans. Although it is strongly advised that passport applicants not book travel before ensuring their travel documents; i.e. passport, are in order, the Department of Immigration assumed that not everyone abided by this rule. To this end, calls were made to passport applicants to determine their travel dates. With this information, the team could better prioritize printing obligations.
Mr. Speaker, all reports from the Chief Immigration Officer, indicate that the transition to HMPO went well and that the Department of Immigration is currently working closely with HMPO to address issues with the transmittal of passport applications electronically. The issues are not insurmountable and are being addressed with a high level of urgency by HMPO.
Mr. Speaker, as was communicated in the May 27, 2016 Statement, I again wish to remind passport customers that the Bermuda Passport Office is only printing BOTC passports locally on compassionate grounds or urgent Government business. BOTC passports are processed on behalf of HMPO. As such, the reasons for issuing emergency BOTC passports are limited and the guidelines as set by HMPO for all overseas territories, will be strictly adhered to. If a passport customer has been negligent for any number of reasons, it is most likely that they will not be allowed to apply for an emergency BOTC passport. I wish to also remind passport customers that they should not book travel without first ensuring that their passport is valid. They are also encouraged to submit their application well in advance of any intended travel dates, being mindful of the new processing timeline of 4 weeks. I reiterate the comments made in this House by my Honourable colleague, the Minister of Education, The Hon. R. Wayne Scott, JP, MP, on July 8, 2016, and emphasize that these reminders also apply to children who may, from time to time, travel with their schools and/or sports clubs or other groups. For example, over the past few weeks, children who qualified to compete in sports events off island have not been able to participate because they did not have valid passports. These circumstances were very unfortunate, however, there was nothing the Bermuda Passport Office could do to facilitate the processing of a new passport in time for the planned travel.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I confirm that applications for BOTC passports can still be submitted to the Department of Immigration. The Department will ensure that applications are sent to HMPO for printing and will contact passport customers for collection of their passport, once it is returned from HMPO. For BOTC passport application forms, passport customers should access the government portal at www.gov.bm (applications forms are no longer available at the Bermuda Passport Office). For further clarity on the BOTC passport application process, passport customers should call the Bermuda Passport Office of the Department of Immigration.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.