Immigration Status
Any non-EU/EEA national wishing to stay in Ireland for more than three months must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to obtain a GNIB Registration Certificate (also known as a GNIB card). The fee for registering is currently €150. For more information on this click here. Registration can be done in your local Garda station through your local immigration officer if the person is residing outside Dublin, or if you are in Dublin at the GNIB at: 13/14 Burgh Quay,Dublin 2. Click here for contact details of local Garda stations.

You must bring your passport and evidence of permission to reside in the country (e.g. copy of work permit). You will receive a GNIB registration certificate (plastic GNIB card), and a stamp in your passport. There are a number of different residency stamps – click here
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Irregular/Undocumented Status
There are significant numbers of migrant workers from outside the European Union who entered Ireland legally but have become undocumented for reasons beyond their control. Many individuals with work permits have found themselves in unexpected circumstances, such as being exploited or suddenly being made redundant. Others were told by their employers that a work permit is in place only to find that was never the case. Some arrived in Ireland to find that the job connected to their work permit never existed. In such situations, unless the person quickly finds another employer willing to apply for a new work permit, they lose their legal status. Workers without a legal status also become much more vulnerable to exploitation and mistreatment.

MRCI has been calling for a temporary permission to remain, or ‘Bridging Visa’ to be brought in for migrant workers who have become undocumented for reasons beyond their control. During the recent social partnership talks, senior government officials stated that plans to implement such as scheme were being considered, and that it would be brought in before the Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill is passed.

Regularising workers in such situations is already current practice with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on an ad hoc basis. MRCI has assisted many migrant workers in this situation over the past number of years. The Department has dealt with a backlog of cases that had been brought to its attention, however MRCI still encounters undocumented people on a regular bases and the introduction of this new scheme will therefore be very timely. If the Bridging Visa is implemented, it will provide a formal mechanism to enable migrant workers to get back into the system when things have gone wrong, and be a vital safety net for preventing the ongoing exploitation of migrant workers.

> Undocumented Workers Scheme Update (8 April 2010)

In October 2009 the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) published guidelines and an application form for some undocumented workers to regularise their status. See the links below for details. The MRCI campaigned several years for the introduction of this scheme, which was known as the Bridging Visa.

Click for INIS Undocumented Worker Guidelines/Application Form

 MRCI FAQs on Application for undocumented workers (English)

NOTE:If you receive a response from General Immigration granting a four-month Stamp 1, see 'STEP 2' in the 'Information points' leaflet in different languages below:

  

MRCI Information points for Applications:

English

Arabic

Bengali

Chinese

Russian

Thai

Urdu

Portuguese

 

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Long Term Residency
If you have lived and worked in Ireland for a total of 5 years (60 months) you can write to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (DJELR) to ask them to grant you long-term residency. Photocopies should be made of all stamps in your passport and submitted as evidence that you have worked and resided in Ireland for 60 months. If granted long-term residency, you must bring your reply letter from the DJELR to the GNIB or local immigration officer and ask them to change the stamp in your passport to a Stamp 4. Long-term residency is not the same as naturalisation: you do not become an Irish citizen, but you are given a longer-term stamp in your passport and you will no longer require a permit to work in Ireland. A person living in Ireland for 8 years or more who does not wish to apply for Citizenship can get a Stamp 6 in their passport, giving them permission to remain ‘without condition as to time’ (indefinitely). For more information go to the INIS website – click here
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Citizenship/Naturalisation
Naturalisation means the process whereby a non-Irish-national living in Ireland may apply to become an Irish citizen, provided s/he has been physically resident in the country for a certain length of time. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has absolute discretion to decide on all applications to become naturalised, and it is therefore not guaranteed that a person will be granted citizenship when they apply for naturalisation. Citizenship can be acquired by naturalisation, but also by descent, by marriage, and by birth in Ireland. Processing time can take at least two years. If you are successful, you will receive a letter from Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. You will have to make a declaration of loyalty to the State at district court and will be required to pay a fee. A certificate of naturalisation will then be issued to you and you can apply for an Irish passport. If your application is refused you may apply again, e.g. if your circumstances have changed. For more information contact the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service - click here

There is also information on the Citizens Information website – click here
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For Further Information

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