Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 October 2022
31. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the considerations that have been given towards merging or streamlining the employment permit and visa application processes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53592/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland has a clear division between economic migration and general immigration policies and thus an applicant for an employment permit undergoes a separate application process with Immigration Service Delivery of the Department of Justice for immigration permission and visas to work in the State.
Much has already been done to improve the employment permit system administratively and my department is always focused on improving the service, with initiatives such as the Trusted Partner Registration system and the introduction of the electronic permit and the Multi-Site general employment permit for Doctors.
An overhaul of the processing system is currently underway so that new IT procedures can be developed in tandem with the new legislation. The development of this new IT processing system will take advantage of all the new technologies available.
The Employment Permits Bill 2022 is designed to increase agility, enabling the employment permits system to more quickly respond to both growth and contraction in labour demand, and to align the criteria for employment permits to the changing needs of the economy by restructuring the legislation to ensure that the system’s operational details and processes are prescribed in Regulations, as opposed to primary legislation.
The policy underlying the economic migration system is one where the system should deliver the skills and labour needs in the economy, while prioritising the Irish and EEA labour pool. The proposed changes are intended to improve the system’s flexibility without changing this core goal.
In terms of the operation of the economic migration system more generally, my Department co-operates closely with the Department of Justice where responsibility for immigration matters intersect with the economic migration system, however The Minister for Justice has responsibility for visa application processes and streamlining of these.
