Immigration

NGOs, civil society organisations and other stakeholders have been updated on the proposed regularisation scheme for long-term undocumented migrants. James Browne, the minister of state for law reform, youth justice and immigration, delivered an update on the scheme after reviewing submissions recei

Solicitors working in asylum and immigration law have come together to form the Irish Immigration Lawyers Association (IILA). The IILA has been founded in order to promote and improve advice and representation in the areas of immigration and asylum law, by providing regular training and an online fo

Changes have been made to the employment permits system to address immediate skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sectors. Health care assistants will be removed from the ineligible occupation list for workers coming to Ireland from outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

US-headquartered business immigration law firm Erickson Immigration Group (EIG) has announced its expansion into Ireland with the opening of an office in Dublin. The firm, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., announced the move alongside plans to expand in

Visa applications for family reunification and essential business needs will begin to be processed again for the first time since January, the government has announced. Justice Minister Heather Humphreys said there would be "some small adjustments" to the priority/emergency list of visas being proce

The Law Society of Northern Ireland has urged Home Secretary Priti Patel to rethink plans to restrict asylum claims from people entering the UK illegally. The UK government confirmed in the Queen's Speech today that it intends to bring legislation to "establish a fairer immigration system that stren

The Burgh Quay registration office is set to reopen for first-time immigration registrations for people living in Dublin on Monday for the first time since December. First-time registrations cannot be done online because the person needs to have their photograph and their fingerprints taken during t

Thousands of people in Ireland will have their immigration status regularised under a proposed scheme announced this afternoon. Under the proposals set out by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, those who have been in the State for four years without a valid immigration permission will be able to apply

Immigration and international protection permissions have been temporarily extended for a further five months. People who held a valid permission to be in the State in March 2020 will be legally permitted to remain until 20 September 2021, even if their Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card has expired

The High Court has granted an order of certiorari against the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation’s refusal to consider an employment permit application for a non-EU national. The key question in the case was whether the applicant was entitled to be considered for an employment pe

Partners of Irish citizens will be able to enter the country and access the job market more quickly under a new preclearance system announced yesterday. The system will enable enable de facto partners of Irish citizens who are nationals of a country from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to a

Plans to phase out the direct provision system of accommodation for asylum seekers by 2024 have been set out by the government in a white paper published this morning. Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman, whose portfolio includes the direct provision system, said the new system will be run "on a no

A High Court judge has criticised the reasoning of the Minister for Justice and Equality in a decision refusing protection for an LGBT asylum seeker. The applicant, known as Mr X, was refused permission to remain in the State despite claiming that he was bisexual and that he would be subjected to pe

Asylum seekers will be able to seek work in Ireland six months after making their application for international protection under new rules announced today. Applicants previously had to wait nine months to apply for permission to work. They will now be able to apply after six months and their permiss

Immigration and international protection permissions have been temporarily extended for a further two months. This is the sixth extension announced by Justice Minister Helen McEntee since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the third described as "final".