Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 October 2014
26. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his plans to create a visa programme for graduates from middle-income countries such as China, Mexico, Brazil, India, and-or Russia, to incentivise visitors from these countries, who could work here, specifically to aid in areas where employers are finding it difficult to source employees with particular skillsets. [39080/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe grant of visas to non-EEA nationals is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality. However, a non-EEA national who wishes to work in Ireland is generally required to hold an employment permit in order to take up employment here. The recently enacted Employment Permits (Amendment) Act 2014 provides for a variety of permit types to allow skilled migrant workers to enter employment in the State. Key among these is the Critical Skills Employment Permit, which is intended to attract highly skilled non-EEA workers in occupations where there are acknowledged skills shortages, often on a global scale. Certain requirements otherwise applying to the issue of employment permits are waived in order to attract critical skills. These waivers represent a balanced response to the contribution such personnel can make to the development of the enterprises for which they will work; a benefit that ultimately feeds more broadly into our society, through the dissemination of expertise among colleagues and through enterprise growth. The skills for which a Critical Skills Employment Permit may be issued fall into a number of categories – financial, medical, engineering and especially ICT.
In addition to the Critical Skills Employment Permit, the General Employment Permit, which facilitates access to the Irish labour market across a broad range of occupations, subject generally to a Labour Market Needs Test, also specifically targets graduates in occupations designated as highly skilled and in short supply.
It is open to recent graduates from any of the countries mentioned to apply for job openings in such occupations in Ireland at a reduced initial salary threshold. However, I do not intend to target these opportunities at graduates of any particular nationality. The employment permits system has been designed to support Irish and Irish-based enterprise by facilitating the filling of skills gaps through migration in tandem with increasing domestic supply and securing opportunities for those who find themselves unemployed.
