Immigration

Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban has said his government will keep its controversial immigration laws, in defiance of an EU ruling. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) last month ruled that Hungary's law criminalising lawyers and activists who helped asylum seekers fell foul of EU

The Supreme Court has determined that a Mauritius national who worked in Ireland without a permit was not entitled to statutory maternity leave payments despite making PAYE and PRSI contributions to the State. The decision has potentially far-reaching consequences for individuals working in Ireland

Westminster legislation which would require non-Irish EU citizens to apply for pre-travel clearance before crossing the border is "unworkable and would be unenforceable", a Sinn Féin MLA has said. Speaking in the Assembly yesterday, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, MLA for East Londonderry, said the pro

New legislation which will widen the offence of people smuggling will not lead to prosecutions of humanitarian organisations, the government has insisted. The Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill, which replaces most aspects of the Illegal Immigrants (Trafficking) Act 2000, was approved by T

Asylum seekers who have been waiting more than two years to have their applications processed will be granted permission to stay in Ireland under a new scheme. Ministers have approved a scheme to regularise thousands of undocumented migrants and their families who are living in Ireland, justice mini

Hungary broke EU law by making it an offence for people or groups to help migrants and refugees apply for asylum, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled. The country erected a razor-wire barrier on the border with Serbia and Croatia in in 2015 as one million people, most of whom were f

New applicants for Irish citizenship will not be required to submit their original passport with their initial application under changes coming into effect from next year. The move is one of a number of changes aimed at simplifying and streamlining the processing of citizenship applications and faci

Dublin-based McGrath McGrane LLP has announced the appointment of Taise Azevedo as a solicitor in the firm's immigration department. Ms Azevedo qualified as a lawyer in Brazil in 2017 and in Portugal in 2020. She joined the firm as a legal assistant in 2019 and was recently admitted to the roll of s

Proposed new UK immigration laws will "undo progress" on tackling child trafficking in Northern Ireland, the Children's Law Centre (CLC) has said. The Belfast-based law centre said the Nationality and Borders Bill, which is being considered by a Westminster committee from today, will harm children,

A minister in the Northern Ireland Executive has said her department will have "no part" in enforcing new Home Office rules targeting rough sleepers for deportation. Communities minister Deirdre Hargey said guidance issued by the Home Office in April, to the effect that homeless non-nationals can be

Immigration and international protection permissions have been extended again until the middle of January 2022 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the eighth extension announced since the start of the pandemic, almost all of which were billed as the "final" extension.

Applications for short stay entry visas will open on Monday for the first time since March 2020. The move will benefit travellers from all countries which require a visa to enter Ireland, such as China, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Up to 150 additional humanitarian visas will be made available to human rights defenders in Afghanistan in response to the Taliban takeover, ministers have announced. On scheduled deportations from Ireland, minister of state James Browne said there is "no question of anyone being returned to Afghani

The Immigrant Council of Ireland's independent law centre worked on nearly 150 cases last year, according to the NGO's latest impact report. The law centre dealt with issues including residence permissions for victims of domestic violence; migrant and refugee family reunification; citizenship applic

Migrant and refugee rights centre Nasc has announced the appointment of solicitor Brian Collins as a legal officer in Cork. Mr Collins will join Julie O'Leary and Natalia McDonald in the NGO's legal service, which works with between 1,200 and 1,500 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants each year.