An exemption introduced during Covid-19 to automatically extend immigrants’ status to remain in the country for the duration of the pandemic is to end from May 31st, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said.
The exemption allowed people with a valid immigration status in March 2020 to legally remain in the State during the pandemic due the “uncertain health and international travel situation”.
The Department of Justice said: “Now that those circumstances are returning to normal, it is important that we also return to a more normal way of doing business”.
The change will mean the immigration system reverts to the pre-pandemic situation where people are required to renew their permission to remain in the State with immigration officials.
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The department said non-EEA nationals can continue to work while applying to renew their immigration status, once they provide their employer with documentation to prove they have applied for a renewal.
Since mid-2020 more than 125,000 people in Dublin have applied to renew their immigration permission through an online system, the department said.
A previous requirement to wait until immigration status is four weeks from expiring before applying for renewal has been extended so people can apply 12 weeks in advance of their permission expiring.
