Mick Barry
Question:527. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Justice her views on a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57337/22]
View answerTuesday, 22 November 2022
Questions (527)
Written answers
I am pleased to say the review of the Atypical Working Scheme for non-EEA fishers has been published on my Department's website.
The key recommendation of the Review Group is that the employment of non-EEA crew in the Irish fishing fleet should be provided for under the Employment Permit system, instead of the existing Atypical Working Scheme.
On the basis that the recommendation is agreed and implemented, any fisher who is successful in obtaining an employment permit will then be able to register on a stamp 1 permission at their local immigration office. The transition to the employment-permit based system would entitle employment permit holding SeaFishers to transition to a Stamp 4 immigration permission and the wider entitlements offered by that permission.
Holders of Atypical Working Permits for SeaFishers can make an application for a certificate of naturalisation once they meet the residency criteria of five years legal residence in the State. Significant changes have been introduced for customers regarding the number of proofs required to establish their identity and residency as part of the Citizenship application process. A new scorecard was introduced to help applicants to complete their applications with greater certainty than before.
Notwithstanding this, I am aware that for some applicants the scorecard may not have adequately addressed their individual circumstances. In such cases, particularly for Non-EEA fishers who may not have access to utility bills or bank account statements, due to their individual living arrangements the Citizenship Division of my Department will accept a sworn affidavit, which could make up the deficit in points to enable the applicant to meet the necessary threshold for justified reasons.
This is a welcome development and builds on other innovative measures introduced in the citizenship application process, including the deployment of “Tara” the e-chat bot, e-payments, e-tax clearance and Gardaí e-vetting, and the removal of the requirement to provide the original passport when making an application, all of which have positively enhanced the applicant's experience.