Sir, - This week I attempted to apply for a work permit as a non-EEA (European Economic Area) national. As an Australian studying in Ireland for the last six years I am a veteran of the visa process here so I was particularly careful to have all documentation with me. At 7 a.m. I joined a queue of 160 people, some of whom had been queuing since 2.30 a.m.
Nine hours later, furnished with all relevant information, I was told that the form I had been provided with by my place of employment had been replaced with a new form two weeks previously. I would have to obtain one (no they don't have them on the premises), and have my employer complete it and send it to them. Having received it back from them (sometime in the next 6-8 weeks), I would be required to come back to have my passport and alien registration booklet stamped, and yes, I would be expected to queue up again.
How challenging would it be to have simple instructions to notify applicants of such major changes? A one-page notice would have saved the waste of an entire day waiting. It has been known for people to be turned away after waiting up to 10 hours. Many of those I observed had little English and no means of understanding the documents they must fill out and thus became confused and upset.
It was not the bureaucratic obstinance or overwhelming inefficiency that I found shocking, but the callous disrespect for the dignity of every one of those people waiting their turn. The place is an unpleasant, hot, small, clinical room with few chairs, inadequate facilities and an unacceptable lack of instructions and communication in any language.
As a resident in Ireland for the last six years I feel embarrassed at the way asylum-seekers and those foreign nationals who work in this country are treated. In the wake of such monumental historical struggles where severe hardship was common, surely we can afford to extend some basic courtesies, some understanding, some respect and a seat to sit in while waiting. - Yours, etc.,
Dr N. Scaramuzzi, Windmill Lane, Dublin 2.