5 November 2021

The Employment Permits (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2021, Statutory Instrument SI No 559 of 2021, introduced the following changes as of 27 October 2021.

Revised Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations

Inclusion to the Critical Skills Occupations List. The following occupation has been included to the list:

• Social Worker

Ineligible Occupations. The following occupations were removed from the Ineligible List:

• Dispensing Optician

• Construction Sector Occupations

• Electricians

• Masons

• Roofers, roof tilers and slaters

• Plumbers and heating & ventilating engineers

• Carpenters & Joiners

• Floorers and wall tilers

• Painters and Decorators

• Construction and building trades supervisors

Quota’s

It is important to note that in respect of all new Quotas established for General Employment Permit roles (i.e. for Horticulture Operatives, Dairy Farm Assistants, Meat Deboners, Meat Processing Operatives, Hospitality Managers, Work Riders) as well as Construction sector roles now eligible for a GEP, a new Labour Market Needs Test must be undertaken from the date these changes take effect (27th October 2021). 

Please note if any amendments are made to the online advertisement and it is re-published, it must run for a further 28 days from the date the change/edit was made.  Failure to run the advert unedited for a full 28 days will result in an invalid LMNT.

• Meat Processing Operative increased by 1,500 Minimum annual remuneration threshold of €22,000 and provision of both suitable accommodation and training (to include language training)

• Meat Deboner increased by 500 Minimum annual remuneration threshold of €27,500 and provision of both suitable accommodation and training (to include language training)

• Horticulture Operatives increased by 750

• New quota for Dairy Farm Assistants by 100

  • Minimum annual remuneration threshold of €30,000

  • No requirement regarding accommodation and training

• New quota of 100 General Employment permits for Work Riders

• New quota of 350 General Employment permits for Catering and Bar Managers, Hotel and Accommodation Managers, Restaurant and Catering Establishments Managers and Publicans and Managers of licensed premises with the requirement that the permit holder have the following:

• A recognised relevant third level qualification in hospitality management and

  • 5 years’ experience in the role

• Quota removed for HGV Driver

• Minimum annual remuneration threshold of €30,000

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English TD, has today announced changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), following a comprehensive review by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.  The main changes include:

• Most construction sector jobs now eligible for a General Employment Permit

• Quota to be removed for HGV driver work permits

• 350 General Employment Permits for hospitality managers

• Social Workers to be eligible for Critical Skills Employment Permit

• Dispensing Opticians to be eligible for General Employment Permit

• New General Employment Permit quotas for 1,000 Horticulture Operatives, 500 Meat Deboners, 1500 Meat Processing operatives and 100 Dairy Farm Assistants; with a strategic review of labour attraction and retention in the sector to follow

• New General Employment Permit quota of 100 for Work Riders

Minister English said:

"This is the third bi-annual review undertaken since the onset of Covid-19 and the impact of the pandemic on the labour market has been a significant consideration in today’s outcomes. These changes, which will come into effect from today, will address the more immediate skills and labour shortages across a number of key economic sectors.

“Employment permit policy is only one part of the response to addressing skills and labour deficits likely to continue into the medium term. It is not intended as a long-term substitute for up-skilling, nor should it displace sourcing labour from the State’s resident workforce.

“I encourage anyone who is looking to return to work or to join the workforce for the first time to engage with employers and their local INTREO office to avail of current job opportunities.  Employers who are recruiting staff can look for assistance through Pathways to Work, government’s national employment services strategy, as the economy and labour market recover."

Speaking of the Construction Sector, Minister English said:

“To assist with the skills and labour shortage in the construction sector in Ireland, I am announcing today that an additional eight categories of occupation within the sector are now eligible for a General Employment Permit.  This measure will support the delivery of the government’s multi-billion capital investment in the National Development Plan, the ambitious housing targets under the Housing for All strategy, and the investment in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and delivering a retrofitting programme under the Climate Action Plan.”

The newly eligible roles within the construction sector are: 

• Electricians

• Masons

• Roofers, Roof Tilers and Slaters

• Plumbers and Heating & Ventilating Engineers

• Carpenters & Joiners

• Floorers and Wall Tilers

• Painters and Decorators

• Construction and Building Trades Supervisors

This now means that almost all occupations in the construction sector are eligible for a General Employment Permit. 

Transport, Logistics and Supply Chain Sector

In support of supply chains and cognisant of the ongoing issues facing transport and logistic operators, exacerbated by Covid-19 and Brexit, Minister English has announced that any HGV drivers recruited from outside the EEA will be eligible for an employment permit without the limitation of a quota.  The quota has been in existence since 2017 and was extended previously in 2019. As of today, the quota is not yet fully used up so does not present an immediate constraint on labour supply.

Minister English explained:

“Today’s decision to remove the quota entirely for HGV drivers will support the work of those businesses responsible for importing and exporting consumer goods and products to and from Ireland.  We have worked closely with the Department of Transport to help ensure continued access to the skilled workers needed as the economy continues to grow through the ongoing constraints of the pandemic and Brexit."

Hospitality Sector

Businesses in the Hospitality sector in Ireland employed some 260,000 people prior to the pandemic.  They have suffered disproportionately from Covid-19 with unprecedented levels of temporary business closures and corresponding staff layoffs. Industry surveys from July identified significant vacancies, including at managerial levels. The Tourism and Hospitality Careers Oversight Group, chaired by Fáilte Ireland, collaborates on a number of initiatives to address labour supply and skills requirements in the sector and to help with recruitment and retention of staff.

Minister English said:

“Today, I am making available a quota of 350 permits to address an immediate need at management level for the hospitality sector as the economy continues to emerge from the pandemic.  I also recognise the importance of training and experience in the sector, as well as the opportunities for professional development that it offers. The quota will be subject to a framework requiring a recognised third level qualification and five years’ experience in the role.  A review of the situation for this sector will be held to make any adjustments necessary”.

Agri-food and Agriculture Sectors

Agri-food and Agriculture are experiencing unprecedented labour challenges due to the pandemic, in spite of initiatives to attract and retain staff and has identified significant unfilled vacancies prior to the reopening of international travel, the number which continues to increase with an attendant risk to supply chains and harvests.  Ireland is an outlier in Europe in not having a seasonal employment permit. While legislation proceeds to rectify this, these new quotas will assist the sector.

Minister English said:

“The agri-food sector shows evidence of significant challenges, notably in meat processing and horticulture. We have responded to address that immediate need with additional permit quotas; 1,000 for Horticulture Operatives, 500 for Meat Deboners, 1,500 for Meat Processing Operatives and 100 for Dairy Farm Operatives.

“I am aware that challenges exist in finding sufficient labour for many operating in Agri-food and Agriculture. The quotas issued will be subject to a review of labour attraction and retention in the sector and should evidence based cases be made to my Department for further changes, they will be examined and acted upon appropriately.

“In addition, the Equine sector has indicated a long-standing need for Work Riders, an occupation with niche requirements which are especially difficult to source.  As of today, a quota of 100 general employment permits will be made available for Work Riders.”

Healthcare Sector

Changes already announced in June this year made the role of Social Worker eligible for a General Permit, however the sector has provided further evidence that availability of qualified Social Workers is still insufficient to meet demand. To address this immediate recruitment challenge and as part of this Department’s continued efforts to support the healthcare system, Minister English has announced that the role will now be made eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit.

In addition, evidence indicates that there is a shortage of Dispensing Opticians, impacting on waiting lists. In response to evidence provided from the sector, the role of Dispensing Optician will, from today, be eligible for a General Employment Permit.

Minister English concluded by saying:

“In this review, we are beginning to see some of the impacts and trends in the labour market resulting from the pandemic. The extensive nature of the changes from this review demonstrate that the employment permit system is flexible enough to address these shortages in real time, while being cognisant to the continuing impacts of the pandemic on labour supply."

Notes for Editor

Background

Ireland operates a managed employment permit system through occupation lists, namely the critical skills and ineligible occupation lists, which are reviewed twice a year. This is an evidence-based process that takes account of labour market conditions and submissions from sectors and other stakeholders together with contextual factors, including in the current context, Covid-19. The purpose of the system is to maximise the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting the Irish labour market.

The Employment Permits System

The Irish State’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour and skills needs from within the workforce of Ireland, the European Union and other EEA states. Policy in relation to applications for employment permits remains focused on facilitating the recruitment from outside the EEA of highly skilled personnel, where the requisite skills cannot be met by normal recruitment or by training.  Employment permit policy is part of the response to addressing skills deficits which exist and are likely to continue into the medium term, but it is not intended over the longer term to act as a substitute for meeting the challenge of up-skilling the State’s resident workforce, with an emphasis on the process of lifelong learning, and on maximising the potential of EEA nationals to fill our skills deficits.

The Occupations Lists

The employment permits system is managed through the use of lists designating highly skilled and ineligible occupations. The lists are reviewed twice a year to ensure their ongoing relevance to the State’s human capital requirements. The review process utilises research undertaken by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) and other experts in the labour market, including the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU) at SOLAS.  The Department also invites submissions from industry representatives, other Government Departments and any other stakeholders who might have a case to make, via a twice-yearly open consultation on the Department’s website. Since the Review of Economic Migration Policy which took place in 2018, the Minister has taken advice on economic migration from the Inter-Departmental Group which managed the review process.

The Employment Permits system is designed to attract highly skilled workers from outside the EEA to Ireland, to meet skills demand in the economy where those skills can’t be accessed through the resident labour force.  For the purposes of the employment permits system, occupations fall into three categories:

• Occupations listed on the Critical Skills Occupations List are highly skilled professional roles that are in high demand and are not always available in the resident labour force. Occupations on this list are eligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) and include roles such as medicine, ICT, sciences, finance and business. Special “fast-track” conditions attach to this permit type including the eligibility to apply to the Department of Justice for family members to accompany the permit holder immediately; and after two years may apply for permission to work without the requirement for an employment permit.

• Ineligible occupations are those with evidence that there are more than enough Irish/EEA workers to fill such vacancies. Employment permits are not granted for these occupations. Ineligible occupations are generally lower skilled occupations such as personal services and operatives.

• Every other job in the labour market, where an employer cannot find a worker, is eligible for an employment permit. For these occupations, the employer is required to undertake a Labour Market Needs Test (i.e. advertise the job four weeks from 1 January 2020) and if no-one suitable applies for the job, the employer is free to apply for an employment permit. Occupations such as these may be skills of a more general nature and are eligible for a General Employment Permit (GEP). This permit type is renewable and after five years the applicant may apply to the Department of Justice for long term residency permission.

Remuneration Threshold for the Critical Skills and General Employment Permits 

With effect from 1 January 2020, the minimum salary threshold for Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEP) is €32,000 per annum for occupations on the critical skills lists where the non EEA national holds a degree; and €64,000 per annum for eligible occupations were the non EEA holds the relevant experience. For the General Employment Permits (for which occupations that have been removed from the Ineligible Occupations List can qualify) is generally €30,000, with €27,500, €27,000 and €22,000 as exceptions for certain categories of employment.

For further information:

https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Permit-Types/Critical-Skills-Employment-Permit/

https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/Permit-Types/General-Employment-Permit/

The Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists Review

It is vital that the employment permits schemes are responsive to changes in economic circumstances and labour market conditions. Therefore it is necessary to review the Critical Skills and Ineligible Occupations Lists on a regular basis, in accordance with the changing needs of the labour market. 

The employment permits regime is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA migrants to fill skills shortages.  However, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work and that the shortage is a genuine one.

An occupation may be considered for inclusion on the critical skills occupation list or removal from the ineligible lists provided that:

• shortage exists across the occupation, despite attempts by industry to train and there are no suitable Irish/EEA nationals available to undertake the work;

• development opportunities for Irish/EEA nationals are not undermined;

• genuine skills shortage exists and that it is not a recruitment or retention problem;

• the Government education, training, employment and economic development policies are supported;

• the skill shortage exists across the occupation, despite attempts by industry to train and attract Irish/EEA nationals to available jobs.

Submission Process

In order to maintain the relevance of these lists of occupations to the needs of the economy, a bi-annual review process is applied.  As part of this review process, submissions are sought from representative bodies, Government Departments, Agencies, and other interested parties relating to occupations currently included on or absent from the lists. 

The submission process is an opportunity for stakeholders to provide additional information and potentially different perspectives on the nature and extent of skill shortages.  Stakeholder submissions are a vital source of information, helping inform the Department’s final assessment of the status of occupations. 

1 October 2021 

It is important to note that holders of a Stamp 4 Permission provided by the Department of Justice do not need an Employment Permit to be employed in the State.

Individuals in receipt of a Stamp 4 Permission who’s circumstances have changed i.e. family situation, employment status or completed studies should contact the Department of Justice’s Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) in the first instance - My situation has changed since I arrived in Ireland - Immigration Service Delivery (irishimmigration.ie)

 Where an application for an Employment Permit is submitted from a holder of a Stamp 4 Permission the following additional information may be required:

  An explanation as to why the non-EEA National is seeking to make an application for an employment permit

• Details of the non-EEA National’s current immigration status and a history of their engagement with the Department of Justice including the efforts they have made to renew of their Stamp 4 permission, or to seek to switch to an alternative permission i.e. Stamp 1

• Additional relevant information in support of the application

• For permissions due to expire between 21 September 2021 and 15 January 2022

• Extension is the final one and applies to people with permissions extended under previous notices

• For permissions registered by the Immigration Service in Dublin and An Garda Síochána nationwide

14 September 2021

The Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, James Browne TD, have today announced a final temporary extension of immigration and international protection permissions to 15 January 2022. 

This applies to permissions that are due to expire between 21 September 2021 and 15 January 2022 and includes permissions that have already been extended by the previous seven temporary extensions since March 2020.

Announcing the measure, Minister Humphreys said,

“I want to reassure people whose immigration permissions are due to expire shortly that your legal status in the country will continue to be maintained. To do this, I am introducing a final automatic extension to 15 January 2022 for anyone already holding a valid permission.”

“This extension will benefit those that have so far been unable to get an appointment to register a first time permission or have yet to renew an existing permission. However, I must emphasise that this will be the final temporary extension and I strongly encourage everyone to use the time between now and 15 January to make all efforts do so and not to wait until the last minute when demand may be high.”

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Browne said:

“This will give customers the necessary time to make arrangements with the Immigration Service in Dublin or An Garda Síochána outside Dublin to ensure that their immigration permission is registered or renewed in the normal way before 15 January 2022.”

“Customers can do so without the additional worry of falling out of permission in the meantime through no fault of their own. Everyone who is covered by this final temporary extension should either register or renew their permission by 15 January 2022 to ensure that they have a qualifying permission to remain in the State after that date, if that is their intention.”

This final temporary extension of immigration permissions means that people who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 are legally permitted to remain until 15 January 2022, even if  their Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card has expired and they are awaiting a new one. Renewal is on the same basis as the existing permission and the same conditions will continue to apply. Special arrangements will, however, apply for international students, including English language students, as set out below. 

The public registration office in Burgh Quay is open for appointments and Dublin-based customers can renew a permission online at https://inisonline.jahs.ie. 

Renewals outside of the Dublin area are processed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau through the Garda Station network. Information on the contact details for all the registration offices outside Dublin is available at: www.garda.ie/en/contact-us/station-directory. 

International students

For international English Language Students, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) indicated in July that English language schools may resume in-person classes.

This extension of permissions will allow students on a Stamp 2 permission, who may have been unable to attend face-to-face classes during the pandemic, to attend in-person over the coming weeks.

Students who have already completed the maximum number of three language courses may continue to work in line with the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) criteria until 15 January 2022 without enrolling in a further English language course. However, they must register for a new qualifying immigration permission by 15 January 2022 to ensure they can remain in the State after that date.

The Department of Justice is currently considering whether adaptions to the current ILEP criteria may be required to protect the health of staff and students, such as the 85% attendance requirement if a student tests positive for COVID-19 or must self-isolate. Further information will be provided on this as soon as possible.

Third level graduates who hold a 1G permission but were unable to secure work during the pandemic may apply to the Department of Justice for a 12-month extension of that permission. Students on a Stamp 2 can apply to transfer to a Stamp 1G once they meet the conditions.

Applications can be made online and further information is available at: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Third-level-graduate-programme.pdf. 

ENDS…/

Notes for Editors

This final extension will apply to the same three primary categories of people as before, whose permissions are due to expire between 21 September 2021 and 15 January 2022:

1.      Renewal of existing permissions /registrations

People who hold a current valid permission, or a permission that has already been extended under the previous notice(s).

2.      Awaiting first registration

People granted permission to land at a port of entry on condition they register at Burgh Quay or their local AGS registration office within three months but who have yet to do so.

3.      Short stay visas

People in the country on foot of a short stay visa and who have been granted permission to remain for less than three months who may be unable to leave the State and return home due to uncertainties caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Since 2 December 2020, customers renewing their permission are no longer required to submit their passport to have an immigration stamp attached by a Registration Office. Further details are available at: www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-renew-your-current-permission

• Restrictions, including the suspension of visa-free travel, lifted for nationals of South Africa, Brazil and other South American countries

• Move is in line with the Government’s Resilience and Recovery Plan for Living with COVID-19

• Travellers arriving into Ireland must continue to comply fully with all public health measures

15 June 2021

The Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD has today announced the lifting of the temporary entry and transit visa restrictions that came into effect on 28 January 2021.

Announcing the changes, Minister Humphreys said,

“As the pandemic situation continues to improve, I am delighted to sign the Order that reverses, with effect from Wednesday 16 June, the temporary entry and transit visa restrictions which were brought in as a necessary interim measure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect public health.

“The move to lift the visa restrictions is in line with the Government’s Resilience and Recovery Plan for Living with COVID-19.

“We remain fully supportive of the general policy against non-essential travel and all travellers arriving into Ireland must continue to comply fully with the public health measures required by law. These include completing a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form, pre-arrival PCR test and quarantine in a designated facility or at home.”

The Minister continued, 

“The lifting of these temporary restrictions will be welcome news for people from South Africa, Brazil and other South American countries who need to travel to Ireland for essential reasons. 

“It is only through the collective effort of everyone, including our migrant communities, that Ireland has made such significant progress against the spread of COVID-19.

“As we continue to reopen our society and look forward to the future, it is important that people are able to travel here for essential purposes while adhering to public health measures that are designed to keep us all safe.”

The move to lift the visa restrictions comes as the processing of all long-stay visa applications has resumed. The situation will continue to be reviewed in consultation with the relevant authorities in the coming weeks.

ENDS…/

Notes for Editors:

The Immigration Act 2004 (Visa) (Amendment) Order 2021 (S.I. No. 23 of 2021) came into effect on 28 January 2021.

The effect of the Order, which amended Schedules 1 and 5 to the Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2014 (S.I. No. 473 of 2014), was:

• To provide that nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Guyana, Paraguay, South Africa and Uruguay are required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State.

• To provide that nationals of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Suriname and Uruguay are required to be in possession of a valid Irish transit visa when arriving at a port in the State for purposes of passing through the port in order to travel to another state.

The following table outlines the changes following the lifting of visa restrictions on 16 June 2021:

Country

Visa restriction since 28 January 2021

Visa situation as of 16 June 2021

Argentina

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Bolivia

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Brazil

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Chile

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Columbia

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Visa-required

Ecuador

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Visa-required

Guyana

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Paraguay

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Peru

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Visa-required

South Africa

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

Suriname

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Visa-required

Uruguay

Visa-required and transit-visa-required

Not visa-required

14 June 2021 Damien English T.D., Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, has today announced changes to the employment permits system for workers from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), following a comprehensive review.

Minister English said: “These changes, which will come into effect from today, will address immediate skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sectors.”

Ireland operates a managed employment permit system through occupation lists, namely the critical skills and ineligible occupation lists, which are reviewed twice a year. This is an evidence-based process that takes account of labour market conditions and submissions from sectors and other stakeholders together with contextual factors, including in the current context, COVID-19. The purpose of the system is to maximise the benefits of economic migration while minimising the risk of disrupting the Irish labour market.

Evidence within the healthcare sector suggest increasing competition for skilled candidates in several healthcare roles and that despite increased efforts to recruit from the Irish and European labour markets, including through engagement with the Department of Social Protection, supply has not sufficiently met demand.

Presenting the changes, Minister English outlined: “One of the principal beneficiaries of today’s announcement will be the Nursing Home Sector following the removal of Healthcare Assistants from the ineligible occupation list. With increases in the aging population and consequent increases in demand for services, significant extra Healthcare Assistants will be required to provide sufficient long-term residential care for older people into the future. The impact of COVID-19 also means that the demand for Healthcare Assistants is likely to continue to be significant.”

The Health Service Capacity Review 2018 forecast a 59% increase in the population aged over 65 and a 95% increase in the population aged over 85 by 2031. Between 2016 to 2031, the number of long-term care beds required is estimated to increase by over 10,000 and this additional demand will give rise to demand for increased staffing levels.  

Given the mix of public, private and voluntary providers in the sector, it is important that there is a common, validated framework of minimum standards, career pathways and qualifications for staff and taking account of the COVID-19 Nursing Homes Expert Panel recommendation, Minister English added, “I have decided, in line with best practice, under the employment permit framework for Healthcare Assistants, that there will be a requirement that they should have attained a relevant QQI Level 5 qualification after two years employment and  I am delighted to be able to say that this training is available to employers and employees in the sector at no or low cost.”

Remuneration for employment permit purposes is a labour market policy instrument in which setting minimum remuneration thresholds is a delicate balancing act. Economic migration seeks to serve the skills needs of the economy without impacting the wider labour market. Therefore, cognisant that there are a range of remuneration levels in the sector (€24,000 - €32,000) and recognising the need to be able to recruit staff while ensuring that there is no disruption to the domestic labour market, a minimum annual remuneration threshold of €27,000 has been set for this occupation. 

Minister English indicated that this framework will be reviewed after twelve months to ensure that changes announced today meet the needs of the sector.  

The review also reports that there are significant shortages over a range of health care roles across the EU. In addition, the Health Services Executive plans to substantially increase capacity with up to   16,000 additional personnel across the system. The Minister said “Adding the role of dietician to the critical skilled list and the inclusion of Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Speech and Language Therapists among the occupations now eligible for an employment permit will help the sector address recruitment difficulties, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19 as well as the significant planned expansion in HSE recruitment”

Minister English concluded: “Our economic migration policy accommodates the arrival of non-EEA nationals to fill skills and labour gaps in the domestic economy in the short to medium term. My Department reviews the system bi-annually, working with other Government Departments to promote an integrated approach to address labour and skills shortages in the longer term. Where shortages are clearly evidenced, the employment permit system is flexible enough to address these shortages in real time.”

Published 8 June 2021

Children born in Ireland to parents who are not Irish citizens will be able to gain Irish citizenship sooner under legislative plans announced today.

James Browne, minister of state with responsibility for immigration, confirmed that changes to the naturalisation process would be included in the Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021.

The amount of time children have to be resident in the State to become Irish citizens will be reduced from five years to three years and the continuous residence requirement will be relaxed.

The government previously announced in March that it would make changes to the process following discussions between then Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Labour Senator Ivana Bacik.

Ms Bacik, a qualified barrister and legal academic, sought to make similar changes through her Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill, which she introduced to the Seanad in 2018.

Mr Browne said: “I know it has been a cause for concern for some that children born in Ireland to non-Irish parents do not have an automatic entitlement to citizenship.

“We fully respect the change made by the Irish people in the 2004 referendum, however we believe that providing a shorter pathway to citizenship is the right thing to do for these children.”

He added: “We are reducing the residency requirement from five years to three years. The bill will also set out clear procedures that will apply where a citizenship application is made on behalf of a child.

“Following court judgments on the continuous residence requirement, we are amending the continuous residence requirement to allow for total absences of up to 70 days from the State in the year preceding the citizenship application being made. Up to a further 30 days may also be allowed where necessitated by exceptional circumstances.”

The Department of Justice has said it will “now work closely with the Office of the Attorney General to progress the bill to ensure publication in the summer session”.

https://www.irishlegal.com/article/bill-to-give-children-born-in-ireland-citizenship-sooner-moves-forward

“Petition to grant work permits for Health Care Assistants in Ireland

In many elderly care settings in Ireland, a majority of Health Care Assistants (HCAs) are immigrants. We have been hailed as ''national heroes'' working longer hours and helping to protect the wider community in Ireland since the beginning of this COVID-19 pandemic that has held so many of us hostage this year. Like everyone, we are dealing with the stress of restrictions on mobility, family and social life. Unlike others, we also face uncertainty regarding our work permit status.”

http://chng.it/NsH8nJ7Pc2
Bruno Ramos started this petition to Irish Government and Department of Justice & Equality.