Guernsey birthright 'to be retrospective'

Currently qualified status - the right to live in local market homes - can be earned 13 different ways

Automatic residency rights will be applied retrospectively when a new population law comes into effect.

The birthright was due to be limited to children - with a local parent and grandparent - born once the law was in place.

The States has now agreed any child with a local parent and grandparent and aged under 8 at the time the law comes in will get automatic residency rights.

It was agreed among other transitional moves to a new system.

Deputies Al Brouard and Mary Lowe suggested the move in a bid to stop anomalies among siblings in families with a local ancestral line.

The age limit was chosen as children born in Guernsey who have lived at least eight years in the island will already qualify for permanent residency rights under the new system.

Currently qualified residents and those with housing licences can live in local market properties, while those without can only live in open market dwellings.

Under the new system those rights already acquired will be protected along with the introduction of eight and 14-year residency milestones and one, five and eight-year work permits.

It also involves setting up a committee to monitor the labour market and advise the States of any shortage of skills in business sectors.

Changes to the rules governing the open market, which makes up 5.9% of the island's housing stock, were also agreed in a bid to crack down on multiple occupancy by unrelated adults and to approve a survey of all properties.

No date has yet been set for when the new regime will come into effect.