Holly Cairns
Question:588. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health to outline his engagement with the Minister for Justice concerning reform of the family reunification process of Non-EEA healthcare assistants. [32230/23]
View answerTuesday, 4 July 2023
Questions (588, 623)
Claire Kerrane
Question:623. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health what engagement his Department had with the Department for Justice on visa criteria for non-EEA healthcare assistants particularly with regard to family reunification processes and eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32388/23]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 588 and 623 together.
Department of Health officials engage on an ongoing basis with Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and The Department of Justice regarding work permits and visas for healthcare workers.
Access to the General Employment Permit for non-EEA nationals wishing to take up employment in the role of health care assistant was announced in June 2021 to address skills and labour shortages in the healthcare and nursing home sector. The framework agreed following constructive engagement with the Department of Health provided a salary of at least €27,000 for the role and the requirement for the permit holder to attain a relevant qualification at least QQI Level 5 after 2 years employment in the State.
Remuneration for employment permit purposes is a labour market policy instrument in which setting minimum remuneration thresholds is a delicate balancing act. Economic migration seeks to serve the skills needs of the economy without impacting the wider labour market. Therefore, being cognisant that there are a range of remuneration levels in the sector (€24,000 - €32,000) and recognising the need to be able to recruit staff while ensuring that there is no disruption to the domestic labour market, a minimum annual remuneration threshold of €27,000 has been set for this occupation.
The conditions governing the eligibility requirements for family reunification and the granting of Stamp 1G visas for spouses and/or dependents of employment permit holders are a matter for the Minister for Justice. The Department of Justice policy requires that the sponsor demonstrate their capacity to provide for their family member(s) if they are to be granted a permission to come to Ireland. The policy sets out the rationale for applying resource requirements as part of the overall assessment of whether to approve an application for family reunification and the conditions attaching to permissions issued to family members. The Policy, which was last amended in 2016, is currently under review. Information regarding financial resources for family reunification is outlined in the policy document available at the following link; www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Policy-document-on-Non-EEA-family-reunification.pdf.