A new scheme is being opened today which will allow thousands of undocumented migrants and their families official permission to reside in Ireland.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has described it as a “once in a generation scheme” that would improve the lives of thousands of people who contributed to society but who still lived in the legal shadows.
According to the Department of Justice, there could be up to 17,000 undocumented people living in Ireland, including up to 3,000 children.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Ms McEntee said that the scheme is not an open-ended one and people will need to fit certain criteria in order to apply.
She said the aim is to process applications as quickly as possible and she hopes that some of the first people will get their decisions by the end of this year.
Although applicants need to have been resident in Ireland for a four-year continuous period, the minister said that a potential for a window of 90 days has been built into the scheme, that would allow for someone to have left the State for valid reasons.
“Once you can show that you’ve had a four-year period upon documentation with potentially that small window, as I said, for humanitarian reasons if somebody has to travel home.
“We want to be as responsive as possible to people’s situations; understanding that it’s never straightforward,” she said.
Meanwhile, those with children aged under 18 will only need to have resided in Ireland for three years.
Applicants are allowed to include a spouse or partner, and children aged between 18 and 23 in their applications.
Successful applicants will be allowed to access the labour market and can begin a path to Irish citizenship.
Those with an existing deportation order or expired student permissions are also allowed to apply.
File photo of refugees on the Mediterranean en route to Italy
Applicants must be considered of good character and not pose a threat to the State, but having convictions for minor offences will not, by itself, result in disqualification.
Minister McEntee said there will also be an appeals process and people can be confident that if they are not successful that their application will be assessed independently under appeal.
She also said that a deportation order does not necessarily prevent a person from applying or being successful but that each individual and application will be vetted.
If there is a serious criminal conviction or otherwise outstanding, she said, then that is something that the Minister for Justice will have to take that into account.
Online applications for the scheme will be accepted for six months until 31 July when the scheme will close.
Source: RTE
