Immigration to Ireland - policies, challenges, and solutions *Read OP before posting*

What is going on absolutely ridiculous.

I'm sure there are poor，weak and those in danger from regimes in the third world.

That's not what is arriving.

I saw the pictures from rathmines. They are all well dressed with nice luggage and strong men.

If we are to accept anyone should not they come directly from refugee camps were WE choose and not smugglers?

I'm no fan of handing everything over to the free-market myself, and I'd agree that the business lobby has too much power in general.

But I still can't see the type of link you're suggesting in the case of IPAs.

I've no doubt big business lobbies for visa waiver schemes and increasing the number of visas in general.

Possibly they also lobby to allow IPAs access the labor market earlier, once they're already here.

But I think given the choice, big business would far sooner deal with visa immigrants than IPAs for a number of reasons...

IPAs will generally have access to some state protections, they won't be as reliant on employers as visa, or visa waiver immigrants are.

IPAs will often put down roots in their settled country. Meaning they will have a tax cost in old age, welfare cost in a recession etc. It's far better from a business perspective deal with visa and visa waiver applicants, who they might hope would simply move on when no longer working here.

Visa workers don't cause the same political opposition. You mention how big business likes to keep political turmoil but I'm not so sure. If it does, i'd certainly expect it to be the type of political turmoil that doesn't cost them money. Huge amounts have been spent in other countries unsuccessfully trying to keep IPAs out, and business in general will be heavily impacted by the tax cost of this.

Varadkar said that while 38 – 40% of those claiming asylum were “genuine” the majority were not genuine claims. 

I have known for 15-20 years that the majority of AS are making bogus claims.

I contend that it's higher than 60-62% bogus.

Can we turn around the 62% in 24 hours?

I read that Switzerland is trying to process some claims over night.

If we processed at least some claims overnight, and had a B737 on standby 24/7 in Dublin, we could deport 150 per day.

You're mixing up travel visas and work visas. South Africans do need a work visa or student visa to work or study in Ireland.

People coming here on a simple travel visa for holidays is a completely different subject to anything immigration related.

I'm not mixing up anything. You're the one who is confusing work permits with visas. What you said is wrong i.e. that holiday visas (or short stay "visit" visas as they are known) are not "immigration related". All types of visas are immigration related.

Certain non European countries are required to to hold visas to travel to Ireland regardless of the reason for travel, even if it is just for tourism. These countries are high-risk countries including for example Nigeria, Georgia, Bolivia (Since september), Albania, Algeria, China, India, etc. Such requirements are in place as there is a high risk that people from those countries will abuse our system. The airlines cannot even board people with these passports if there is no visa on the passport.

On the other hand, low-risk non EU countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, etc, can travel here without a short stay visa - they can buy a plane ticket and arrive at our border as tourists. (Of course even these countries will still need work permits if they come for a long stay - that's different).

Some countries are deemed such high-risk that they are even required to hold visas to simply transit through our airports. Ukraine used to be on this list. Several African countries are currently on this list, as is Bolivia.

South Africans SHOULD be required to have a visa to travel here as tourists. Because many of them travel to Ireland posing as tourists and then they remain here. They actually need visas to travel to the UK as tourists, so it's crazy that we are not aligned with the UK in this regard. They do not currently need a visa to come to Ireland as a tourist. This is a massive gaping hole in our system. Why? Because corrupt South African passport office will sell real South African passports to anyone, thus allowing them to pose as tourists in Ireland and then never leave.

Tourists are not immigrants. All visas are not immigration visas.

As for your commentary about 'high risk' countries that will 'abuse our system ' I'm sure you can back up your assertions with actual facts?

How it looks on paper can be deceptive though ..

https://www.thejournal.ie/irish-billionaires-list-6272085-Jan2024/#:~:text=Oxfam%20found%20that%20the%20richest,of%20the%20country%27s%20financial%20wealth.&text=IRELAND%27S%20TWO%20RICHEST%20billionaires%20now,report%20from%20Oxfam%20has%20found.

All this wealth needs to be taxed a little more and used prudently not just given away to more wealthy landlords in tax loopholes ...sorry for rant 🤯

I agree, we're basically a tax haven and have nowhere near the living standards our paper wealth suggests.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0305/1436067-christian-aid/

I suspect it was their intention all along and that they were hiding behind goodwill and pretending to care for these people and will have no problems when they'll slave away in their friends businesses working away for a pittance. I'm not saying to stop everyone, We should do a system like Australia. Take in skilled workers that are in short supply here, and anyone that gets rid of documentation or is not genuine should be sent back to the spot they arrived from. I'd also fine airlines because surely they must be checking these people's IDs and details kept? They've failed because at the end of the day, neither side wants to really stop it. It could be massively improved

You are wrong again.

IMMIGRATION legislation covers ALL visas and all people presenting at our borders including short-stay visas, long-stay visas, work permits, and even citizens that are not required to hold visas. Everyone is subject to our IMMIGRATION acts regardless of their reasons for coming to our border (even Irish people).

You are being pedantic (and failing at that) because you are trying to distract from the actual point I was making, which is that much abuse of our immigration systems could be prevented by tighter visa requirements.

And yes, I can back it up. Here's an example:

We used to refuse about 200 Bolivians per year at our airports. This is because Bolivians did not require visas to travel to Ireland and they would just rock up, posing as tourists and hoping to live here illegally. When refused entry to the State, some of these Bolivians would claim asylum as it was the only way they could avoid deportation. Since we introduced a visa requirement for Bolivians, we have had very few (if any) such issues. So we have pretty much eliminated international protection applications from a safe country by imposing a visa requirement.

Three more countries have just been added to that list - Vanuatu, Dominica, Honduras for the reasons I am outlining here, so even McEntee seems to recognise what I'm saying ;) That's more evidence.

To further enhance our controls, South Africans and other nationals should be required to hold visas to come here, even on short stays (They are even required to hold visas to go to the UK and they are in the commonwealth, yet we don't put that same demand on them!).

Since 2023, the number of those who plan to stay in Ireland on a permanent basis has increased from 41 per cent to 53 per cent. The share of those planning to return home decreased from 25.5 per cent to 19 per cent.

Another 1 per cent planned to move to another country, and 27 per cent could not answer the question.

The travel visa thing is a total red herring - most asylum seekers enter Ireland via the EU (or from GB or NI) where no visas are required for entry,

Yeah the UK with it's massive amount of immigration and yet they've a creaking/busting health service same as us. A housing crisis, same as us.

Its almost like any of the supposed benefits of massive immigration is pony.

This is unusual. Relates to an Afghan who wasn't long in Ireland and took off for Belfast after the woman was murdered.

Why is the trial in a different jurisdiction?

The Soc Dems have other policies that will resonate with some voters, but true that SF & the Soc Dems certainly are not advocating a tighter immigration approach than the current govt.

Maybe SF are pushing housing, but I am still yet to see a costed plan on how they would deliver more homes.

I actually think they would deliver less new homes because they are anti big business and its investment fund capital that is wholesale driving residential construction in Dublin at the moment.

Remember also that the slow down in the commercial construction sector will move staff into residential, which is likley a factor in Leo upping the new homes targets from 35k to 50k per year from next year, I believe.

Latest Ipsos poll from Feb 24 has SF at their lowest support level in 3 years (28%)