Immigrants bringing family members to Ireland may be required to show they have independent means before travelling, according to proposals being considered by the Department of Justice.
They could also be fined for breaking the rules of their visas - for example by staying longer than allowed - according to the proposals.
Earlier this month, the department invited tenders for research into the financial resources needed by migrants to establish themselves and their families in Ireland.
It is considering the introduction of a system of financial guarantees similar to those operating in Australia and Canada, where immigrants forfeit financial bonds of up to €17,000 if they break the terms of their visas.
When finalised, the proposals are likely to feature in the Immigration and Residence Bill currently in preparation, according to a department spokesman. Immigrants may also be required to have adequate health insurance before they arrive here.
The arrival of over 100,000 people from outside the EU over the past five years has led to an increasing demand for family reunification. The department says this will result in increased social and healthcare costs.
Family unification programmes are "potentially controversial, requiring a balance between the need to respect humanitarian values and the need to protect national borders, State sovereignty and the provision of public services".
"A fundamental factor in the successful integration of migrants into Irish society is their own ability to integrate into society. As a general rule, the more financial resources possessed by migrant families, the better-positioned they are to integrate successfully into their host society," says the department.
"Problems of social exclusion in migrant communities are usually concentrated at the lower end of the social scale."
The department says it wants to address the issue of what constitutes adequate resources for migrants bringing family members here. This should mean "sufficient financial income and assets to ensure that migrants are not at risk of poverty and do not require social welfare income supports or public housing".
