GOVERNMENT PLANS to charge immigrants who receive long-term residency in the State €500 each have been criticised as “underhanded” by groups representing migrant workers.
There are currently more than 8,000 foreign nationals waiting an average of almost two years to have their applications for long-term residency processed.
To date, there has been no charge for processing applications. However, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern is to introduce a €500 charge for all successful applicants from September 7th onwards.
The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has strongly criticised the move which, it says, will cost many applicants the equivalent of more than a week’s wages.
“It is completely shameful and underhanded for Minister Ahern to introduce these new fees for migrant workers, many of whom are struggling to support themselves and their families at this moment,” said Bill Abom, the centre’s deputy director.
“The fee places an additional burden on migrant workers, who already pay their taxes and numerous other fees.”
Rajat Bhatnagar, a migrant worker from India, is one of the many immigrants who received news of the charges this week in a letter from the Department of Justice.
Mr Bhatnagar said: “This is extortion. We pay our taxes and we pay huge fees for our work permits, Garda registration cards and entry visas. I think this fee is scandalous.”
A spokesman for Mr Ahern was unavailable for comment yesterday.
A small newspaper advertisement announcing the measure this week does not provide an explanation for the charge, except that the Minister is empowered to introduce it under the provisions of the Immigration Act (2004).
Official figures show the department is only now processing applications it received in late 2007. The average waiting time for an application is 22 months.
Any foreign national who has been legally resident or working in the State for more than five years is entitled to apply for long-term residency.
The new fees are among a number of charges facing foreign nationals from outside the European Union. These include work permits (€500 annually), re-entry visas (€100), Garda registration cards (€150) and citizenship application (€950).
The Refugee Information Service said the new fee was “inequitable” and would be a heavy burden for migrant families already struggling to cope with the economic downturn. It has called on the Government to reconsider the decision.
