In response to the increase in demand for Irish immigration services and a rise in applications for International Protection, the Department of Justice has recently made a commitment to improving the Irish immigration system.
In April, the Department and the Immigration Service Delivery announced a plan to modernise and transform the immigration system.
The changes to the immigration system are outlined in the Justice Plan 2023, released in April, under Goal 4: ‘Deliver a fair immigration system for a digital age.’
As outlined in this plan, there will be a simplified process for obtaining an employment permit and immigration permission to work and live in Ireland through a single application process.
The Justice Plan 2023 is the third and final plan undertaken by the Department of Justice to achieve the objectives outlined in the ‘Statement of Strategy 2021-2023’.
Throughout this action plan the Department of Justice aims to reform the system to provide a more modernised, accessible, customer-centric immigration service.
In a bid to make the process more efficient, the Government has committed to providing additional funding of almost €18 million in the 2023 budget.
We will outline the current process and detail the benefits that the new changes will provide for non-EEA nationals applying for employment permits and visas.
At present, in order for a citizen from a country which is outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) to immigrate to Ireland, they must complete two applications.
The first step is to apply to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment for a general employment permit to gain eligibility to work in Ireland.
If successful in obtaining a general work permit for Ireland, the second step is to apply for a visa to live in Ireland for non-EEA nationals.
This can be a time-consuming process for individuals and employers as it involves two separate applications to obtain an employment permit and a visa to live in Ireland.
Under the proposed Immigration Action Plan, an employment permit and work visa will only require a single application, on a single platform. All immigration services will also transition to a digital process.
This way, the work permit application form can be completed along with the visa application, and the required work permit documents can be uploaded digitally.
The changes to the system will aim to improve customer service with a self-service functionality.
There will be a strong focus on improving the efficiency of the process and restructuring it to make it easier to understand, while maintaining the security of the immigration system. The changes will also focus on enhanced border security.
Overall, the aim of the Department of Justice is to deliver a fair immigration system for a digital age through increased digitalisation and centralisation.
When implemented into policy, the new process of applying for an Irish employment permit and visa will have various benefits.
Firstly, as noted by Leo Varadkar, access to skills and talent is becoming increasingly important for Irish businesses.
Hence, the proposed action plan will simplify the process for non-EEA nationals wishing to relocate and obtain a visa with the right to work in Ireland.
For both employees and employers of foreign nationals, the new system will provide a simplified immigration process through a single application, reducing the work permit processing times and enabling foreign nationals to begin working in Ireland sooner.
The new process aims to eliminate backlogs across all immigration types. At present, the employment permit processing time is at least 12 weeks, and the Ireland work permit processing time can take up to eight weeks.
This will be necessary as under Goal 4 in the Justice Plan 2023, one of the goals is to maintain the 25% increase in immigration applications.
At Visa First, we can help you to secure your Irish Work Permit.
This permit allows non-EEA nationals to legally work in Ireland, provided that the occupation is not listed on the Ineligible Categories of Employment list, and permit requirements are met.
With over 20 years of experience, we will ensure that the required documentation is submitted and that your application is prepared correctly to avoid any delays in the processing time of your visa.
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