I refer the Deputy to my Second Stage speech on the Employment Permits Bill 2005 on 12 October when I gave the House a detailed account of the present and proposed employment permit arrangements. Under the present system a work permit is granted to an employer to recruit a specific employee to fill a specific vacancy where the employer has been unable to find a suitable employee within the European Economic Area.
The working visas-work authorisations scheme introduced in 2000 is designed to facilitate the employment of individuals from outside the EEA who are highly skilled in particular economic sectors where labour shortages exist. Principally, these are health professionals, information computing technology professionals, and construction professionals, such as architects, engineers and town planners. In these instances the would-be employee is granted the authorisation or visa at an Irish embassy or consulate abroad on the basis of a job offer in these sectors by an employer in Ireland. Spouses of work permit holders require a work permit in order to enter the labour market, whereas employers of spouses of authorisation or visa holders are granted permits without having to under take a labour market test. All of the above information is available on my Department's website at www.entemp.ie.
An intracompany transfer facility is available on a case-by-case basis, without an economic needs test, for international companies located here to enable them to transfer senior managers or exceptionally skilled staff to Ireland for a fixed duration. When enacted, the Employment Permits Bill 2005 will put the existing administrative arrangements on a sound legislative footing. It will also facilitate the issue of employment permits of extended or indefinite duration and provide additional protections for migrant workers.
The new arrangements being introduced as part of an active managed economic migration policy comprise a green card for occupations where there are skills shortages, which will be for a restricted list of occupations in the annual salary range from €30,000 to €60,000 and for a more extensive list of occupations in the annual salary range above €60,000. Green cards will be issued for two years initially, with the possibility of permanent or long-term residence after that. For other sectors, work permits will only be granted where it can be demonstrated following a rigorous labour market test that suitable employees are not available within the EEA. Third, a re-established intracompany transfer scheme for temporary transnational management transfers.
A key feature of the Bill is the provision of a number of new important protections for migrant workers. These include the granting of both the employment permit, whether the work permit or the green card, to the employee rather than the employer. The new employment permit will also contain a statement of the rights and entitlements of the migrant worker. In addition, the Bill prohibits employers from deducting expenses associated with recruitment from remuneration and from retaining personal documents belonging to the employee.
