2026-01-13

121. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the engagement his Department has had with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding current waiting times for first-time Irish residence permit registration appointments, which in many cases now exceed new employees’ actual job start dates due to exceptionally high demand for appointments and limited availability (details supplied); the measures are being taken to reduce these waiting times; the supports or temporary flexibilities are being put in place to assist affected employees and employers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1459/26]

My question relates to first-time Irish resident permits and registration appointments. There are considerable delays and there is considerable anxiety for those who wish to avail of an appointment to seek employment, particularly critical employment. Those positions of employment are often in the medical care sector. I am anxious to understand exactly how that process can be expedited to ensure it does not go on for months.

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy O’Callaghan, has complete ownership of matters relating to the granting of visa and immigration permissions and is solely responsible for the administration of its registration appointment service. Queries relating to immigration status or any initiatives or temporary flexibilities in accessing its services during periods of high demand should be addressed to that Department. My Department has responsibility for the employment permits legislation which provides permission to take up employment in the State subject to the granting of immigration permission to enter for that purpose by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. It is my understanding that all employment permit holders can commence the employment stated on the permit while awaiting confirmation of their immigration permission to remain. A period is provided to facilitate registration with immigration service delivery. However, it is the responsibility of the non-EEA worker to ensure his or her permission is appropriate and up to date. Significant work has been carried out by my Department to ensure that the national economic migration system supports all sectors of our economy. The new employment permit system has made the application process easier, more secure and more intuitive, resulting in a more streamlined processing experience. These timelines have been steadily decreasing and I am confident that this positive trend will continue. Processing timelines currently stand at seven business days for a critical skills employment permit and 25 business days for a general employment permit. In particular, I have engaged closely with representatives of the health and social care sector to support that sector. This includes ensuring speedy delivery of permits for non-consultant hospital doctor rotations, ensuring access to a nursing workforce and recent engagement on the topic of healthcare assistants and home carers. My Department does not engage with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration regarding its processing times for individual visas. However, I am working closely with the Minister of State, Deputy Colm Brophy, in regard to a single permit.

I appreciate the Minister of State’s response but I am in receipt of an email that I received for what is described as a critical skills employment permit. The position the individual applied for was a critical nurse manager in Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe. The employment was to start in early January but the earliest date they got for any appointment was 10 March 2026. That worries me. A position remains unfilled and the skilled person who wishes to take up that role still has not had an appointment. Therein lies the problem and that is why I bring this matter to the attention of the Minister of State. There is a delay and while there is a delay, there is anomaly. While that exists, there is always a vacant job post.

I thank the Deputy for bringing this important matter to our attention. Certainly, a healthcare professional should not lose their job or employment on the basis of a backlog. As I said earlier, employment permits allow for the commencement of work while the registration is pending. That is important to factor in. Our immediate priority, as a Government, is to keep hospital staff and ensure patients are cared for. Permit holders can start work on that basis. We are all working together and working with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to accelerate any systemic issues that may present. We want to ensure our permit system is fast and flexible and it delivers the critical skills employment permits that we require to have a functional economy. Healthcare is a critical component of that.

I have raised my concern. Maybe there is a need for better and more collaboration. One thing that is sure and certain is that, when we require skilled people to take up critical posts in critical positions, there is an urgent need to expedite that process. I certainly have plenty of email evidence to suggest that there are considerable delays. Whether it be the Department of justice or otherwise, when it comes to the employment permits unit, maybe, as the Minister of State said, it can work collaboratively and more efficiently to ensure the situation remains that we can get people sorted sooner rather than later.

We have made significant strides with regard to our efficiency by transitioning to an online employment permit system. Since its launch, we have processed over 22,000 employment permits and we have issued over 15,000. That has been successful with regard to processing times. We see now critical skills employment permits, including healthcare roles, are being processed within 14 days. That by any yardstick is important to recognise. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to ensure that we have a seamless application process and work is under way in that regard. We hope that the next phase will deliver a faster, more integrated experience not just for the applicant but also to ensure that employees have that certainty and good user experience.