Immigration

Immigration and international protection permissions have been extended for a fifth and possibly final time. Justice Minister Helen McEntee today announced the temporary extension for permissions that are due to expire between 20 September 2020 and 20 January 2021.

Mr Justice Max Barrett has criticised the State for an "appallingly protracted" 18-month delay in a deportation case. The case concerned a Pakistani woman and her daughter who came to Ireland in 2014, joining the woman's brother who had been a UK and EU citizen since 2001. The move came after the wo

The Home Office has been roundly condemned by lawyers across the UK for attacking the integrity of the legal profession and undermining the rule of law after releasing a video accusing "activist lawyers" of delaying deportations. The video, which was posted on the Home Office's Twitter page but late

An Garda Síochána has been criticised for referring migrants who assist gardaí in criminal investigations to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) as a matter of policy. Once a case has been concluded, migrant witnesses who gardaí suspect do not have the right to l

New immigration rules allowing for family members of people in Northern Ireland to apply for status under the EU settlement scheme have come into force. The revised rules specify that a "relevant person of Northern Ireland" – meaning a British citizen, an Irish citizen, or British-Irish dual c

The High Court has ordered that the Minister for Justice and Equality must establish a medical panel for the purposes of section 23 of the International Protection Act 2015. Background

The Court of Appeal has affirmed the judgment of the High Court refusing family reunification where the applicant's marriage was, at the time of contracting, actually polygamous. The ruling in I.H. (Afghanistan) v. Minister for Justice and Equality [2020] IECA 241 marks the latest occasion on which

The Supreme Court has held that a ministerial finding that a marriage amounted to a marriage of convenience does not make it a legal nullity. Background

A marriage is not void in law just because the Minister of Justice has found it to be a marriage of convenience, the Supreme Court has ruled in a landmark judgment. In his judgment, Mr Justice William McKechnie said a determination by the minister under certain regulations "does not have the effect

The High Court has quashed the deportation order of two relatives of an EU citizen, having heard that they offered to undergo DNA testing at their own expense. The court found the Minister for Justice erred in law on a number of grounds. Background

Denise Brett SC has been elected as chairperson of the Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship Bar Association (IACBA) at its first-ever AGM. The association, established last year with support from The Bar of Ireland, brings together barristers practising in this specialised area of law, which also inc

Immigration permissions have been extended for a third and final time in response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Permissions due to expire between 20 July and 20 August 2020 are set to be automatically extended for one month, including for people in Ireland on short stay visas and those whose permi

The visa waiver programme allowing people visiting the UK on short stay visas to travel to Ireland has been temporarily suspended because of a "divergence in approach" to the COVID-19 pandemic. The measure, announced today by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, will affect nationals from 17 countries, i

The online registration renewal system has been expanded to include all non-nationals based in Dublin who are seeking to renew their registration in the State. The expansion of the online system follows a successful pilot programme which saw around 3,500 third level students renew their registration

Alan Desmond, law lecturer at the University of Leicester, considers whether African-Americans could come to Ireland as refugees. Recent months have seen a growing international focus on use of excessive force against African-Americans by police in the US. The killing of George Floyd, in particular,