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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Dec 1981

Vol. 331 No. 12

Written Answers. - Visas to Non-Nationals.

142.

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.

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

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