I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the Family Reunification Policy document which was published in 2013 and amended in December 2016 sets out the reasons why the qualifying financial criteria is set at the current figures. The document sets out, among other things, the requirement that family reunification should not be an undue burden on the public purse. Economic considerations, therefore, are a necessary part of family reunification policy. Reflecting the balance of interests referred to in the document, sponsors will have to achieve minimum levels of earnings prior to being eligible to sponsor a family member. The policy is a national policy and does not discriminate on the basis of geography.
The financial thresholds will rise significantly where the application is made in respect of a dependent elderly parent. Any grant of immigration status in such cases will be subject to strict conditions aimed at protecting the public purse. These will include medical insurance and financial guarantees. Given the level of risk, which cannot be fully mitigated by undertakings of financial support by family members, the financial thresholds for earnings to support an elderly dependant relative must be high enough to meet the foreseeable expense. Obviously, health and medical costs which are not geographically dependent increase significantly for older persons and factors such as potential future nursing home costs also need to be taken into account. Therefore, a sponsor of an elderly dependent relative will be required to have earned, in each of the 3 years preceding the application, an income after tax and deductions of not less than €60K in the case of one parent and €75K where two parents are involved. Where the elderly dependent relative has a guaranteed income into the future this can be used to partially offset the financial limits.
