Immigration Updates

Clare Immigrant Support Centre welcomes the launch of the long awaited Regularisation Scheme which will transform the lives of many individuals and families living  here in Clare and all over Ireland.

The  Regularisation Scheme will launch early in  2022 and be open for 6 months. The scheme proposes to regularise the immigration statuses of Individuals with dependent children after 3 years of being undocumented in the State and individuals living in Ireland undocumented for at least 4 years by the time the scheme opens in 2022. Succesful applicants will have the right to live, work engage in education and will also have a pathway to becoming Irish citizens.

Very importantly the scheme will also be open to individuals who have been in the international protection process for 2 years or more, this will be of great benefit to  reducing the big  backlog of asylum seekers living for years in the much-criticised direct provision accomodation system while  awaiting  decisions on their international protection applicatiions.

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• Visa applications will now be accepted for essential family reunification
• Applications also accepted from people who have been granted an employment permit and are travelling for essential business or employment purposes

20 May 2021

The Minister for Justice, Heather Humphreys TD, and the Minister of State for Law Reform, Youth Justice and Immigration, James Browne TD, have today announced that two new categories have been added to the priority/emergency list of visas being processed at this time.

Visa applications will now be accepted from people who are seeking to join their family members in Ireland, and from those who are travelling for essential business or employment purposes and have been issued with an employment permit by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

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10 May 2021

Please see FAQs from ISD which may also apply to international protection applicants during this time, and can be found here

In light of the current Covid-19 Level 5 restrictions announced by Government, the International Protection Office (IPO) wishes to advise that the following arrangements will apply:

• Opening Hours: Reception at the International Protection Office, Timberlay House, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2 will be open between 09:00 and 13:00 by appointment and from 13:30 to 16:00 for walk-in service, Monday to Friday.

• Protection Interviews:  Substantive interviews are resuming by video conference only until further notice in line with Government guidelines and public health advice.  The IPO will contact applicants when their interviews are scheduled.  Updates will continue to be posted on this site.

• IPO2 Questionnaires:  Applicants with outstanding IPO 2 questionnaires are asked to complete and return the questionnaire as soon as possible please.  In light of the current circumstances, the IPO will accept electronically completed questionnaires from applicants once they are signed and submitted in hard copy.
• Temporary Residence Certificates (TRC):  Information on TRC renewals can be viewed here.

The International Protection Office continues to deal with correspondence received but due, to ongoing public health measures, may not be in a position to respond within normal timeframes.

Further updates will be provided in due course.

From Department of Justice 

Published on 6 May 2021

• appointments for first time registrations will recommence
• initial appointments will be for customers who had previous appointments cancelled
• new Customer Service Helpdesk recently launched

The Minister of State for Law Reform and Immigration, James Browne, TD, has today announced that the Immigration Service’s Registration Office in Burgh Quay will reopen for customers living in the Dublin area on Monday 10 May. The reopening is in line with the new public health measures in the government’s Resilience and Recovery Plan for Living with COVID-19.

Making the announcement, Minister Browne said:

"The COVID-19 restrictions have been difficult for everyone in the country, including our migrant communities. I am delighted to confirm that the reopening of the Public Office means that first-time registrations can take place again from Monday.

"We will be prioritising our customers who had their appointments cancelled when the Office closed in December under Level 5 restrictions and we will contact them directly over the coming days to arrange their new appointment dates.

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26 March 2021

• For permissions due to expire between 21 April 2021 and 20 September 2021
• Applies to people with permission extended under previous notices
• For permissions registered by the Immigration Service and An Garda Síochána

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, T.D., has today announced a further temporary extension of immigration and international protection permissions to 20 September 2021. This applies to permissions that are due to expire between 21 April 2021 and 20 September 2021 and includes permissions that have already been extended by the previous 6 temporary extensions.

Announcing the measure, Minister McEntee said:

“As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, I want to reassure people whose immigration permissions are due to expire shortly that your legal status in the country will continue to be maintained. To do this, I am introducing a further automatic extension to 20 September 2021 for anyone already holding a valid permission.

“This extension will benefit those who cannot get an appointment to register or renew an existing permission. However, I encourage anyone who can renew, particularly Dublin-based customers who can use the online system, to do so and not to wait until September.

“It is intended this will be the final temporary extension of immigration permission, however we will continue to keep the situation under review as part of our national response to the pandemic.”

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