Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration statement on progress towards the introduction of a single permit system for visas and work permits

In response to John McGuinness' question the Minister states:

It is a central priority for me, as Minister for State with responsibility for migration, that our immigrations laws are fair and efficient. Legal migration plays an essential and very positive role in Ireland's society and economy. Such legal pathways are vital to addressing labour shortages across the economy.

I have been working closely with the Minister of Enterprise, Trade Tourism and Employment to ensure that Ireland's legal employment pathways are as efficient and convenient as possible. In May 2024 Government approval was secured for our plan to introduce a single permit to both work and live in Ireland.

This decision followed detailed engagement by an interdepartmental group to explore the feasibility of such a measure. As you are aware, currently, employment permits, visa applications and residency permits are processed separately. A detailed plan has been developed to unify these processes and an implementation team is working to introduce a single permit. Once this is in place Ireland can then seek to opt-in to the EU Single Permit Directive.

This is a complex technical project, involving linking two separate IT systems, and is likely to require legislative amendment. The project is due to be completed in 2027.

In the short term, steps will be taken to streamline the process so that information requests and checks won't be duplicated. The customer experience will improve through aligning online information and introducing a single payment model.

These steps will simplify the process for people, while a common application platform is being developed.

My Department is making significant investments in technology to fully digitise the immigration service. Also, last year changes were made to allow spouses and partners of employment permit holders to themselves take up employment without the requirement for a separate authorisation.

All of these initiatives are designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of our economy and to support and recognise the vitally important contribution made by legal migrants to so many areas of our economy and society.