Immigration Updates

Please note the following statement from the Department of Justice.

The link to article can be found HERE

The Ministers for Justice and Enterprise, Trade and Employment have announced that eligible spouses and partners of General Employment Permit and Intra-Corporate Transferee Irish Employment Permit holders, who have applied for, and have been granted family reunification, in accordance with the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy, will now be registered on a Stamp 1G permission, rather than a Stamp 3. This will allow the holder to take up employment, without the need to obtain a separate Employment Permit, of their own. In addition to this announcement, spouses and partners of Critical Skills Employment Permit holders and Researchers on a Hosting Agreement currently on a Stamp 3 are also now eligible for a Stamp 1G.

In addition to this announcement, spouses and partners of Critical Skills Employment Permit holders and Researchers on a Hosting Agreement currently on a Stamp 3 are also now
eligible for a Stamp 1G.

The application process for eligible spouses and partners who wish to join their family member in Ireland remains unchanged.

Further information can be found here: Coming to join family in Ireland

Arrangements for eligible spouses and partners who already legally reside in the State and hold a ‘Stamp 3’ permission

As an exceptional measure, eligible spouses and partners with a Stamp 3 endorsed on their current in-date Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card have had their permission to remain in the
State varied to the same conditions as Stamp 1G.

Eligible spouses and partners do not need to make an application to the Registration Office where they reside in counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow or, their relevant An
Garda local immigration office in the rest of the State to change their current permission from Stamp 3 to Stamp 1G, or acquire a new IRP.

The amended Stamp 3 permission comes into effect from 15/05/2024.

A new Irish Residence Permit on Stamp 1G conditions will issue to eligible persons when they seek to renew their current Stamp 3 permission upon its expiry.

Arrangements to engage in employment for eligible spouses and partners who already legally reside in the State and hold a ‘Stamp 3’ permission

Eligible spouses and partners do not need to acquire a new IRP card to engage in employment. You can provide prospective employers the following letter in conjunction with your current IRP card endorsed with a Stamp 3, which explains this temporary administrative arrangement. Download Stamp 3 to Stamp 1G Employment Notice.

Please note that this arrangement is valid during the transition period until 15/05/2025. After this date, eligible spouses and partners will have renewed their IRP cards to Stamp 1G.

Whom does this apply to?

If you currently reside in the State, to be eligible for this varying of permission, you must meet the following criteria on the 15/05/2024. You are:

• A spouse or partner of General Employment Permit (GEP) or Intra-Corporate Transferee (ICT) permit holder;
• A spouse or partner of a Critical Skills Employment Permit Holder (CSEP) or Researcher on a Hosting Agreement;
• A spouse or partner of a Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor (NCHD) on a Multi-Site General Employment Permit;
  Or,
• Your spouse or partner previously held one of the above and is now on Stamp 4
  permission
• Your spouse or partner has been issued a Reactivation Employment Permit for a GEP, ICT or CSEP Employment Permit.

And:

• You have been granted permission to reside in Ireland under the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy;
• You are legally resident in the State on a valid Stamp 3;
• You wish to engage in employment in Ireland;
• You are a non-EU/EEA/UK/Swiss national.

Whom does this not apply to?

• All other family members, other than spouses or partners, of Employment Permit, Hosting Agreement or Intra-Corporate Transferee Permit holders.
• A spouse or partner of an Employment Permit, Hosting Agreement or Intra-Corporate Transferee Permit holder, who is present in the State on a different type of permission, such as, visitor conditions or Stamp 2 (study).
• A spouse or partner of an Employment Permit, Hosting Agreement or Intra-Corporate Transferee Permit holder who does not have permission be in the state.
• Stamp 3 holders, who have been issued Stamp 3 permission for other reasons and, arenot spouses or partners of an Employment Permit, Hosting Agreement or Intra- Corporate Transferee Permit holder.

Summary of immigration conditions attached to a Stamp 1G permission:

• Permitted to work in the State without the requirement to obtain an employment permit.
• Permitted to undertake courses of study in the State.
• Not permitted to establish or operate a business.
• Not permitted to be self-employed.
• Renewal of the Stamp 1G registration is required annually.
• After 5 years on a Stamp 1G, you may be eligible for a Stamp 4 permission.

Please note this article from the Department of Justice. 

Link to the actual page can be found HERE

The transfer of responsibility for first time registration and renewal of Irish immigration residence permissions for persons residing in counties Cork and Limerick from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of the Department of Justice will come into effect on 8] July 2024.

On 8 July 2024, the first time registration of Irish residence permissions for applicants residing in counties Cork and Limerick will now be carried out at the Registration Office, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. This will be in addition to the current registrations for counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Wicklow.

First-time Registration of Irish immigration permission

Appointments for first time registration can be booked using the Freephone number (1800 800 630).

Operators are available between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday to arrange appointments.

Applicants for registration will be required to provide the operators with their passport details and a valid email address to arrange appointments.

Please Note, on the day of your appointment for first time registration at the Registration Office in Burgh Quay, you must bring:

• Your passport (or other equivalent document, issued by or on behalf of an authority recognised by the Government [of Ireland]),
• A printed and completed copy of the address form attached to your appointment confirmation email (this is the address your Irish residence permission (IRP card) will be sent on issue to you),
• Printed copies of the required supporting documentation relevant to your permission, electronic copies of documents are not accepted.

If you do not have all required documents with you at your appointment, we will be unable to complete your registration and issue an Irish Residence Permit card. You will be required to book a return appointment to the Registration Office to complete your registration.

On the day of your appointment, you will be required to pay a fee of €300 depending on the type of permission you are seeking. Certain exemptions from payment of the fee are listed below. Please see the list of fees for different types of permissions.

Please note: We only accept credit/debit card payments. We are unable to accept cash, cheques, or contactless payments.

Renewal of Irish immigration permission

Also with effect from 8 July 2024, online renewals of permissions from applicants living in counties Cork and Limerick should be submitted using the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) online renewal portal. Applicants will not need to attend the Burgh Quay Registration Office in person to renew permission.

The GNIB will continue to undertake first registrations and renewal responsibilities for applicants residing outside of counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, Cork and Limerick.

Please note that all applications, State-wide, for renewal of residence permission, including when changing Stamp category, are accepted by both ISD and GNIB up to 12 weeks prior to expiry to allow sufficient time for processing.

ISD Online Processing Times

The Immigration Service website provides a live processing update for online renewal applications being processed. To ensure an equitable immigration system, applications are processed in the order in which they are received.

Guide to engaging with ISD services

Please read the step-by-step user guide on engaging with ISD services for further information.

Exemption from registration and renewal fees

Certain applicants for first registration and renewal of residence permission are exempted from payment of the €300 registration fee if they:

• Have refugee status.
• Have subsidiary protection status.
• Have leave to remain under Section 49 of the International Protection Act 2015.
• Are aged between 16 and 18 years of age.
• Are resident based on marriage to an Irish citizen.
• Are a family member of an EU citizen.
• Are Ukranian citizens and certain foreign nationals’ resident in the State as a Beneficiary of Temporary Protection.

A total of 13,227 people sought international protection in the State last year, new figures show, down by 400 on the previous year.

The numbers do not include the 102,000 Ukrainians who have fled to Ireland since Russia invaded their homeland in February 2022.

The number of applicants in each of the last two years has been almost t three times the 2019 total, when Ireland received 4,781 requests for international protection.

This “big jump” leaves Ireland to “more or less on a par” with the European norm, said Richard Dixon, who leads the office that processes and determines protection applications, including requests from Ukrainians under a specific temporary protection scheme.

This article is from the Irish Times on January 10th 2024.

The full article can be found HERE