Immigration

Immigration is the most pressing issue facing Ireland in 2024. This includes legal immigration, which we support, because we recognise the important role immigrants play in our economy and our society. It also includes illegal immigration, which we strongly oppose. We have seen an enormous increase in applications for International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), or refugee status, during the past two years (many of which are without merit). The Government has done nothing except force these people, many of whom are unskilled economic migrants, into communities that are not equipped to accommodate them.

Schools are overcrowded, doctor wait times continue to grow, and the school dentist is a distant memory. Illegal immigration has devastated the tourism industry, which has been one of our largest industries for the better half of a half century. Understandably, many Irish citizens oppose the creation of permanent migrant centres in their communities. However, IPAS centres are immune from planning regulations, which legally nullifies resident objections – this needs to change immediately. To address this crisis, Independent Ireland will:

Improving Legal Immigration

• Impose strict background checks on all visa applicants;

• Streamline all work visa applications and expedite allowing legal immigrants to work;

• Reduce bureaucratic hurdles for small and medium enterprises hiring legal immigrants; 

• Allow legal immigrants with a tax number to work upon arrival in order to meet the human resource requirements of the Irish economy;

• Ensure businesses demonstrate jobs cannot be filled by non-EEA workers and are sustainable, strict consequences for employers who abuse the system;

Opposing Illegal Immigration

• Obligate IPAS centres to follow the same planning regulations as every other entity in the country and allow individuals, communities, and businesses to file objections with the relevant planning authority; 

• Require airlines to provide scans of passports presented pre-flight to identify people who destroy or lose their identity documents;

• Acquire the use of secure airport detention facilities for undocumented arrivals and people awaiting deportation;

• Support immediate deportation of IPAS applicants convicted of violent or sexual offences;

• Support automatic refusal of IPAS applicants who have prior serious criminal convictions;

• Deport incarcerated foreign nationals immediately after their prison sentence ends;

Expediting IPAS Applications and Eliminating Wasteful Spending

Expedite IPAS applications to be completed within a defined time frame. Hold Special court sittings to address and deal with these cases and hire 300 new case officers. We will pay these new salaries with money we save by not providing room and board to 30,000+ new arrivals each year:

We must also expedite the appeal process and complete it within 30/60/180 calendar days:

• Safe Country – 30 days after arrival;

• Unsafe Country – 60 days after arrival;

• All Appeals exhausted after 180 days after arrival;

• Curtail automatic medical cards to IPAS applicants, ensuring the same criteria is applied to IPAS applicants as is to existing residents; 

• Impose VAT to the contracts of hotels accommodating IPAS applicants to stop incentivising damage to tourism;

• End private accommodation reimbursement altogether for future arrivals and eliminate the migrant housing industrial complex; 

• Communities that wish to accommodate IPAS centres should be empowered to do so on a not-for-profit basis and should be supported and funded by the state for the buying and doing up of unused properties; 

• This model would create greater community buy-in and the community would benefit from funds generated;

• This will stop the overinflated state system;

• Implement a requirement that permanent residence permit applicants must take a six-month course on Irish history and culture and pass an exam, provided in English and Irish only;

• Allow for revocation of naturalised citizenship in cases where a naturalised citizen is convicted of serious violent or sexual crimes.

  The Government’s inaction on this issue demands a drastic correction, lest the situation deteriorate further. We must remove the incentives drawing economic migrants to Ireland; otherwise, they will keep coming and for every person we turn around, another will arrive. Ultimately, these are the steps we must take if we are to care for Irish people, legal immigrants, and genuine refugees already present in Ireland.