Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2020
118. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the contingency plans in place for the extension of validity for workplace employment permits in cases in which they are due to expire in the short-term and persons with expired workplace permits are not permitted to work; the way in which renewals can be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25089/20]
View answerIn March 2020, the Employment Permits Section of my Department implemented a COVID-19 contingency plan to ensure that the employment permit regime could continue to operate throughout the crisis. Since 30th March, the employment permit system has been operating fully remotely and online.
Operational practices have been adjusted to replace the paper-based elements of the service to allow for a fully online process involving electronic/scanned documents and all decisions/outcomes now issue via e-mail rather than by post. Agreement was reached with the Immigration Service Delivery in the Department of Justice and Equality on arrangements to introduce, on a temporary basis, a type of “e-employment permit” and a similar soft copy process to transition to permanent residence permission.
Applications for employment permits, including renewals, may be submitted online via the Employment Permits Online System which also provides intuitive advice and information on the eligibility requirements and relevant criteria. In order for a renewal application to be considered, it must be submitted to my Department no earlier than three months before the permit is due to expire or within four weeks of the permit expiry date. An employment permit holder may continue to work whilst their renewal application is being processed. A suite of information is also provided on my Department’s website with advice on the different types of permits, remuneration and other eligibility criteria, employer checklists and an FAQ document which answers the majority of the most common questions, all of which are available through this link - https://dbei.gov.ie/en/What-We-Do/Workplace-and-Skills/Employment-Permits/.
Employment Permits Section is fast tracking and prioritising employment permits for health service workers to ensure rapid deployment of much needed additional and key front-line staff. Since mid-March, a total of 3,099 permits for health care workers have been expedited and issued.
Full details in relation to the contingency arrangements introduced by the Employment Permits Section in response to the pandemic can be accessed on my Department's website through the following link: https://dbei.gov.ie/en/Publications/COVID-19-Employment-Permits-System-Contingency-Arrangements.html
