Thursday, April 10, 2008

Spouse of....

If you, an expat, a foreigner, marry a Bermudian you will for the next ten years be classified by the government as a 'Spouse of Bermudian'. The term is a necessary definitive, especially when it comes to working on the island. As a 'Spouse of', you only stand second in line behind a Bermudian to be considered for potential employment, if you are qualified for the job and if no Bermudian is deemed suitable for the job. As a 'Spouse of', you are ahead of the residents and expats.

So, it's no wonder that some come onto this island with ulterior motives to snag an eligible Bermudian. But the government has procedures put into place to ensure that this is done with the best of intentions. You have to be married to the Bermudian for a total of 10 years and have resided in Bermuda for a significant number of those years in order to get to the finish line.
Once you pass the ten year mark you are then eligible to apply for Bermudian status. A divorce within those ten years, does not give you rights to anything. Some of my Bermudian friends joke about the whole 'Spouse of' status about what they would say if they married a foreigner: Hey, be good to me or I'll divorce you. You're only coming on 5 years! OR Remember, you still have 4 years to go...

Cracks me up every time!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought that Bermudians and Spouses of Bermudians, or SOBs and some people call us, were on equal footing from a legal standpoint as far as which one an employer can choose to hire.

In other words, if an SOB and a Bermudian both apply for the same job, and they are both capable of doing the job, the employer isn't legally mandated to hire the Bermudian before the SOB.

Am I wrong?

MS CUTE PANTS said...

That's what I thought too, until I was told that this is the order that candidates are interviewed when being considered for positions at the HOSPITAL BOARD. One of my local neighbour's wife has applied many a times at the Hosp, but hasn't been hired yet since she's a 'SOB' and there are many qualified Bermudians ahead of her.

But geez...I had heard of the abbrev SOB and had forgotten all about it until I read your comment. Thanks for visiting!

Anonymous said...

Hey chickie, I just tagged you. No pressure...

bichonpawz said...

If I'm not mistaken....I think the employer must hire the Bermudian before the SOB...I think! Doesn't always make sense...but I believe that's the way it works.

Never Mind!! said...

My first time here. Cool blog! and you live in Bermuda for real?

MS CUTE PANTS said...

For sure, Never Mind and welcome!!!