Ireland – the place to be

October 2019

According to the “Immigration in Ireland: Annual Review 2018”, recently published by Charlie Flanagan TD, Minister for Justice and Equality, Ireland’s appeal is on the rise with more and more foreign nationals looking to visit, work, study and invest in the State. The review provides an insight into the statistics linked to immigration. It indicates that there were 140,533 visa applications made in 2018, a 12% increase compared to 2017. The largest number of applications for visas in Ireland in 2018 came from India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey, Philippines, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. The report attributes Ireland’s strong economic performance combined with the increase in the number of flights to and from Ireland as the contributing factors for this influx of people.

Ireland has benefited greatly over the last few years, with such a highly skilled workforce adding to competitiveness in the workforce and expansion in the growth potential of the economy. As numbers of such highly skilled workers continue to rise, so will the benefits. However, the potential knock-on effect of such a sharp increase in visa applications is an increase in both visa and work permit application processing waiting times. However, a number of new steps such as the new “user-friendly” layout, new online application forms and a streamlined application processes hope to remedy any potential application processing delays in the future.

As always, we advise Employers submitting work permit applications on behalf of incoming foreign employees to be aware that application processing times can vary anywhere from 12-14 weeks and to advise these employees not to book flights to Ireland until all requisite paperwork is obtained.

If you require any assistance with visa or permit applications, or have any other general queries, please contact Emma Richmond or any member of our Employment and Immigration team.