Annual Policy Report on Migration and Asylum 2014: Ireland
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Annual Policy Report on Migration and Asylum 2014: Ireland Corona Joyce and Susan Whelan November 2015 ANNUAL POLICY REPORT ON MIGRATION AND ASYLUM 2014: IRELAND Corona Joyce Susan Whelan November 2015 Study completed by the Irish National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) which is financially supported by the European Union and the Irish Department of Justice and Equality. The EMN has been established via Council Decision 2008/381/EC. Available to download from www.emn.ie ISBN 978-0-7070-0382-5 © The Economic and Social Research Institute Whitaker Square, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin 2 2 | Annual Policy Report on Migration and Asylum 2012: Ireland The European Migration Network The aim of the European Migration Network (EMN) is to provide up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum at Member State and EU levels with a view to supporting policymaking and informing the general public. The Irish National Contact Point of the European Migration Network, EMN Ireland, sits within the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). The ESRI The Economic Research Institute was founded in Dublin in 1960, with the assistance of a grant from the Ford Foundation of New York. In 1966 the remit of the Institute was expanded to include social research, resulting in the Institute being renamed the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). In 2010 the Institute entered into a strategic research alliance with Trinity College Dublin, while retaining its status as an independent research institute. The ESRI is governed by an independent Council which acts as the board of the Institute with responsibility for guaranteeing its independence and integrity. The Institute’s research strategy is determined by the Council in association with the Director and staff. The research agenda seeks to contribute to three overarching and interconnected goals, namely, economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability. The Institute’s research is disseminated through international and national peer reviewed journals and books, in reports and books published directly by the Institute itself and in the Institute’s working paper series. Researchers are responsible for the accuracy of their research. All ESRI books and reports are peer reviewed and these publications and the ESRI’s working papers can be downloaded from the ESRI website at www.esri.ie. The Institute’s research is funded from a variety of sources including: an annual grant-in-aid from the Irish Government; competitive research grants (both Irish and international); support for agreed programmes from government departments/agencies and commissioned research projects from public sector bodies. Sponsorship of the Institute’s activities by Irish business and membership subscriptions provide a minor source of additional income. The Authors Corona Joyce is Senior Policy Officer and Susan Whelan is Research Assistant at the Irish National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN), within the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). Acknowledgements This report has benefited greatly from comments and input on an earlier draft by staff members of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit within the Department of Justice and Equality; Catherine Cosgrave of the Immigrant Council of Ireland; Siobhán O’Hegarty of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ireland; Enda O’Neill of UNHCR Ireland; staff members of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation; staff members of the Department of Justice and Equality; Pablo Rojas Coppari of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI); Joe O’Brien of Crosscare; staff members of the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI); staff members of the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC); staff members of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT); Thomas Dunning from the Social Work Team for Separated Children, TUSLA; and by our colleagues Alan Barrett, Elaine Byrne, Egle Gusciute and Emma Quinn. Assistance with analysis of significant legal occurrences during 2014 was provided by Anthony Moore BL, independent consultant. This European Migration Network Study, compiled according to commonly agreed specifications, provides a coherent overview of migration, asylum trends and policy developments for 2014. The report consists of information gathered primarily for the EU-level synthesis report of the EMN Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014. All reports are available at http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_migr ation_network/index_en.htm The opinions presented in this report are those of the authors and do not represent the position of the Economic and Social Research Institute, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, the Department of Justice and Equality, or the European Commission, Directorate-General Migration and Home Affairs. Table of Contents | i Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................. iv ABBREVIATIONS AND IRISH TERMS...................................................................................................................... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Methodology ................................................................................................................1 1.2 Structure of Asylum and Migration Policy ...................................................................4 1.2.2 Institutional Context ........................................................................................4 1.2.2.1 Department of Justice and Equality ..............................................4 1.2.2.2 Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation ...........................7 1.2.2.3 The Department of Foreign Affairs ...............................................7 1.2.3 General Structure of the Legal System ............................................................8 CHAPTER 2 OVERVIEW OF ASYLUM AND MIGRATION POLICY DEVELOPMENTS .................................................... 11 2.1 Political Developments ............................................................................................. 11 2.1.1 Cabinet Reshuffle ......................................................................................... 11 2.1.2 Government Priorities and Review .............................................................. 11 2.2 Overview of Developments in Asylum and Migration .............................................. 12 2.2.1 Legislation..................................................................................................... 12 2.2.2 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Periodic Review .......................................................................................................... 13 2.2.3 Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill ........................................ 15 2.2.4 Population and Migration Estimates 2014 ................................................... 16 CHAPTER 3 LEGAL MIGRATION AND MOBILITY .............................................................................................. 20 3.1 Economic Migration .................................................................................................. 20 3.1.1 Legislation..................................................................................................... 20 3.1.1.1 Employment Permits Legislation 2014 ....................................... 20 3.1.2 Changes to Employment Permit System ...................................................... 22 3.1.3 Atypical Working Scheme............................................................................. 26 3.1.4 Changes to Start-Up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) ............................... 27 3.1.5 Domestic Workers ........................................................................................ 29 3.1.6 Recognition of Qualifications ....................................................................... 30 3.1.6.1 Legislation................................................................................... 30 3.2 Family Reunification .................................................................................................. 31 3.2.1 Statistics ....................................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Case Law ....................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Students and Researchers ......................................................................................... 35 3.3.1 Students ....................................................................................................... 35 3.3.2 Researchers .................................................................................................. 40 3.3.3 Qualifications Recognition ........................................................................... 40 3.4 Integration ................................................................................................................