Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
463. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the temporary suspension of the working holiday authorisation scheme will be lifted given the limited public health threats should entrants to the State comply with quarantine requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22506/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraWorking Holiday Authorisations (WHAs) play an important role in building Ireland’s bilateral relations with a number of non-European countries and regions by encouraging people-to-people contacts. The Department of Foreign Affairs administers nine such programmes with Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and the United States. The WHAs facilitate young people or recent graduates from these locations to experience Ireland’s culture and way of life during a working holiday here while, reciprocally, Irish people can enjoy similar experiences abroad. During the pandemic, our primary concern in this regard has been the health, welfare and wellbeing of our citizens currently on working holidays abroad and of those from other countries in Ireland under WHAs. In recent months, our Missions abroad provided assistance in repatriating many of these Irish citizens and our Missions continue to assist those who remained abroad.
The processing of Working Holiday applications by our Missions abroad has been temporarily suspended since the pandemic restrictions were introduced. Other countries and regions with which we have bilateral programmes have likewise temporarily suspended their reciprocal arrangements.
We continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation here and in the relevant locations abroad, in terms particularly of public health advice, travel restrictions, job opportunities and the availability of short-term accommodation. We will instruct our Missions abroad to re-open the application processes when circumstances allow young people to benefit from a working holiday here and to fully experience Ireland’s culture and way of life. We will also take account of the resumption of working holiday arrangements in the relevant locations abroad.
