asked the Minister for Justice the total number of temporary and permanent visas granted to non-nationals to take up residence in this country in the last five years; and the nationalities concerned.
Written Answers. - Visas to Non-Nationals.
The answer is in the form of a tabular statement, which, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to circulate with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
First of all I have to explain that a visa is not a permission to take up residence but rather a qualified permission to enter the country either for a single visit or for visits at any time within an expressed period. Visas are not required by citizens of a large number of countries. Those countries are listed in the Aliens (Amendment) Order, 1975, (S.I. No. 128 of 1975). Whether or not an alien has a visa he is obliged on arriving in the State from any place other than Northern Ireland or Britain to obtain leave to land from an Immigration Officer. There is no immigration control on entry to the State from Northern Ireland or Britain.
Persons born in Northern Ireland or Britain are exempt from all controls on aliens.
The available records show that in the last five years
(a) 22,000 visas were approved but a breakdown by nationality is not available,
(b) 1.6 million aliens received leave to land in the State,
(c) 1,029 citizens of EEC countries (other than citizens of the United Kingdom and Colonies) were issued with a "Resident Permit for a National of a member State of the European Communities".
The records also show that at the end of each of the last five calendar years the following were registered as resident aliens (i.e. as residing here for three months or more):—
Return of Aliens registered as being resident on 31st December 1976 — 1980.
Country |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
Afghanistan |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Albania |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
— |
Algeria |
7 |
54 |
91 |
29 |
65 |
Andorra |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
1 |
Antigua |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
Argentina |
10 |
12 |
11 |
12 |
25 |
Australia |
6 |
41 |
68 |
101 |
133 |
Austria |
68 |
72 |
75 |
74 |
73 |
Bahamas |
3 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
6 |
Bahrain |
70 |
42 |
39 |
46 |
54 |
Bangladesh |
4 |
6 |
16 |
22 |
34 |
Barbados |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Belgium |
90 |
103 |
121 |
134 |
138 |
Belize |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
1 |
Benin |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
Bolivia |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Botswana |
— |
— |
2 |
4 |
5 |
Brazil |
1 |
3 |
5 |
14 |
13 |
British |
10 |
16 |
29 |
22 |
— |
Bulgaria |
4 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
Burundi |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
Cameroon |
5 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
10 |
Canada |
116 |
152 |
191 |
195 |
252 |
Chad |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Chile |
54 |
57 |
60 |
50 |
55 |
China |
45 |
85 |
100 |
47 |
99 |
Colombia |
8 |
10 |
18 |
18 |
22 |
Costa Rica |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
Cuba |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Cyprus |
5 |
5 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
Czechoslovakia |
15 |
16 |
15 |
11 |
14 |
Denmark |
117 |
128 |
126 |
136 |
151 |
Dominica |
4 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
Ecuador |
3 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
7 |
Egypt |
71 |
92 |
124 |
165 |
159 |
El Salvador |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Ethiopia |
9 |
17 |
18 |
21 |
27 |
Finland |
20 |
28 |
27 |
30 |
41 |
France |
496 |
567 |
609 |
711 |
833 |
Germany (West) |
1102 |
1163 |
1228 |
1318 |
1454 |
Ghana |
8 |
16 |
23 |
24 |
58 |
Greece |
24 |
26 |
30 |
34 |
36 |
Grenada |
1 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
Guatemala |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
Guinea |
— |
— |
— |
— |
28 |
Guyana |
1 |
2 |
3 |
— |
2 |
Honduras |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
Hong Kong |
131 |
108 |
134 |
226 |
226 |
Hungary |
6 |
12 |
10 |
13 |
12 |
Iceland |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
Indonesia |
13 |
13 |
12 |
13 |
8 |
India |
139 |
199 |
261 |
311 |
427 |
Iran |
22 |
30 |
50 |
68 |
107 |
Iraq |
49 |
87 |
121 |
142 |
198 |
Israel |
12 |
13 |
15 |
30 |
47 |
Italy |
968 |
1019 |
1044 |
1066 |
1103 |
Jamaica |
1 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
Japan |
191 |
194 |
186 |
213 |
263 |
Jordan |
30 |
61 |
82 |
81 |
105 |
Kenya |
25 |
37 |
41 |
48 |
50 |
Korea (South) |
— |
7 |
8 |
6 |
8 |
Kuwait |
19 |
29 |
34 |
49 |
41 |
Laos |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Lebanon |
25 |
27 |
37 |
48 |
52 |
Lesotho |
— |
— |
1 |
13 |
26 |
Liberia |
— |
— |
1 |
4 |
3 |
Libya |
96 |
205 |
217 |
260 |
321 |
Luxembourg |
3 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
Liechtenstein |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
Malawi |
2 |
2 |
3 |
— |
10 |
Malaysia |
181 |
230 |
276 |
296 |
478 |
Malta |
3 |
4 |
13 |
24 |
24 |
Mauritius |
31 |
46 |
38 |
51 |
61 |
Mexico |
101 |
122 |
145 |
156 |
151 |
Morocco |
9 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
11 |
Namibia |
— |
7 |
16 |
11 |
13 |
Nepal |
— |
2 |
1 |
— |
4 |
Netherlands |
537 |
590 |
669 |
817 |
942 |
New Zealand |
1 |
16 |
22 |
33 |
43 |
Nicaragua |
1 |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
Nigeria |
143 |
241 |
289 |
349 |
423 |
Norway |
240 |
248 |
251 |
265 |
268 |
Oman |
— |
1 |
2 |
9 |
12 |
Pakistan |
51 |
86 |
133 |
132 |
233 |
Panama |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Peru |
3 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
Philippines |
28 |
32 |
35 |
32 |
43 |
Poland |
83 |
72 |
86 |
82 |
87 |
Portugal |
43 |
39 |
50 |
60 |
57 |
Qatar |
25 |
2 |
42 |
67 |
95 |
Romania |
4 |
5 |
9 |
15 |
11 |
Russia (USSR) |
16 |
20 |
16 |
30 |
18 |
Rwanda |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
St. Kitts |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
St. Lucia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Saudi Arabia |
5 |
9 |
87 |
119 |
183 |
Senegal |
2 |
2 |
1 |
— |
2 |
Seychelles |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
2 |
Sierra Leone |
6 |
8 |
13 |
24 |
33 |
Singapore |
9 |
14 |
16 |
18 |
19 |
Somalia |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
South Africa |
151 |
250 |
308 |
394 |
403 |
Spain |
416 |
452 |
504 |
628 |
715 |
Stateless |
52 |
57 |
59 |
82 |
67 |
Sri Lanka |
7 |
16 |
24 |
37 |
56 |
Sudan |
20 |
62 |
88 |
71 |
90 |
Swaziland |
8 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
Sweden |
123 |
123 |
135 |
146 |
155 |
Switzerland |
150 |
151 |
171 |
179 |
196 |
Syria |
13 |
17 |
121 |
26 |
32 |
Tanzania |
10 |
32 |
29 |
41 |
56 |
Thailand |
14 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
18 |
Togo |
1 |
5 |
4 |
— |
— |
Tonga |
— |
— |
— |
3 |
4 |
Transkei |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
Trinidad and Tobago |
14 |
19 |
20 |
25 |
28 |
Tunisia |
6 |
6 |
11 |
14 |
11 |
Turkey |
10 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
23 |
Uganda |
3 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
United Arab Emirates |
— |
— |
— |
6 |
— |
Uruguay |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
United States of America |
2148 |
2524 |
2610 |
2722 |
2973 |
Venezuela |
12 |
13 |
16 |
11 |
11 |
Vietnam |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
Yemen (South) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
Yugoslavia |
11 |
10 |
14 |
17 |
16 |
Zaire |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Zambia |
32 |
30 |
72 |
73 |
77 |
Zimbabwe |
3 |
4 |
7 |
14 |
17 |
Totals |
8862 |
10422 |
11809 |
13022 |
15044 |