AN INCREASE IN the cost of the immigration fee has been called “unjust” by the Immigrant Council of Ireland.
A fee of €300 will be charged in respect of each immigration certificate of registration issued to a non-EEA national with effect from tomorrow.
The ICI said that this is a 100 per cent increase in fees for non-Europeans to remain in Ireland for more than three months and that it was announced with five days’ notice.
The ICI said the €300 fee is unfair and unjust. Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland said:
The Government is quick to highlight and publicise the progress which has been made on citizenship, visas and in reducing bureaucracy, but this increase which will hit families hard, has effectively been announced by stealth.
Individuals and families who are legally resident here are being asked out of the blue to dig deeper than ever before.
Non-EEA nationals in Ireland who are subject to this fee will now have to pay €300 to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau if they are remaining in Ireland for more than three months.
The ICI has called on the Government to exclude the most vulnerable people, including victims of domestic violence, from this fee.
“There are many migrants contributing to the Irish economy, using their skills, talents and abilities to ensure we can repair the damage of recent years and contributing taxes – now we are asking them to pay up more,” said Charlton, who said that Irish registration fees are now amongst the highest in Europe.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say