Michael Fitzmaurice: Criticises Visa System and Migration Processing
Michael Fitzmaurice addressed migration and the state's handling of visas and arrivals, condemning previous decisions that he says ceded sovereignty. He argued the visa system is a "nightmare for employers" and warned that other arrivals can wait years for resolution if cases go to court.
Main criticisms of the visa system
The speaker said the current visa renewal and admission process is overly burdensome for employers and is failing to meet practical needs. He insisted that people who come through the visa system are valued and welcome, but that the administrative process for bringing workers or renewing permissions is chaotic and difficult for businesses.
Two-tier arrivals and court delays
Michael Fitzmaurice contrasted visa arrivals with people arriving without passports, describing a de facto two-system reality. He warned that while officials aim to make decisions within 12 weeks, cases that reach the courts can take two, three, four or five years to resolve, creating a major problem for processing and certainty.
Impact on rural communities and nursing homes
He accused previous decisions in a government department of harming rural communities, saying nursing homes were lost and repurposed as IPAS Centre locations. He said those administrative choices left local politicians and councillors uninformed and communities feeling betrayed.
Acknowledgement of recent improvements and European constraints
The speaker acknowledged recent improvements made over the past six or seven months by the minister but warned that European legislation constrains national action. He noted that non-compliance could lead to fines and reiterated that some sovereignty has already been ceded by earlier decisions.
Position on migrant workers and public sentiment
Michael Fitzmaurice stressed that people arriving through the visa system should be appreciated and allowed to work, and that the public is not opposed to migrants working. He also expressed concern about people entering by other routes - including via the north - where there is limited control and uncertainty about who is arriving.
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First of all, I will come to be able to speak in a little bit. Minister, you were not here when the previous minister signed our country another piece of sovereignty away. To put it very simple, we should be still in control of our own thing. That is gone. That is water under the bridge now. We have two systems in Ireland. There are employers this minute. I think we should make it very clear that we value people that come into this country through the visa system who are working right around the country doing great work. And they need to be appreciated for everything they are doing. But the sad reality is, when it needs renewing or if you want to bring somebody in through the visa system, it is a nightmare for employers. That is the facts, whether we like it or not. And then you have the other system, that someone comes in on a plane, they don't have a passport, and they could be here five, six, seven years before they are dealt with. I understand that you have made improvements, I acknowledge that, and I say that openly. But the reality of it is, that while you say that we will process them or have them over a decision in 12 weeks, if they go to the courts, we are going to be here another two, three, four or five years. And that is a major problem. And what has happened in this country, not in your time, may I say, but before this, an awful lot of decisions have been made within a newer department, where rural communities have been pitted against each other. Where business people have gone round the country like vultures, looking for places, nursing homes that were closed. We lost nursing homes in this country, and we ended up that they became places for IPAS Centre. It is your department, and maybe not your department at the time, but it is the department that made that decision. They have caused havoc in rural communities around the country, and they should hang their head in shame for what they have done. Civil servants within some departments that made these decisions. Without any of us known as politicians, we were left looking like fools, not knowing what was going on. Local councillors were left looking like fools, because, oh, we cannot tell them. The send out a liaison person that would not tell you X, Y or Z, which was absolutely sickening. I hope you change that, Minister. I know you are caught now with this European legislation, and if you do not adhere to it, what we have signed up to now, the piece of sovereignty we have given away, we can now get fines and all of that. I welcome what you have done up to now over the last six or seven months, but I will say it time and time again. There are people that have come from countries that did not come because they were fleeing war or fleeing other things. They came here, and they are coming in through the north, and they are coming in different ways, and we have no control on it. We do not know who is coming in, but may I be very clear? If people come here through the visa system, they are very welcome to work. Let no-one say they are not, and let people not be putting this, and especially in the media, this thing, oh, are you against someone working? Nobody is against anyone working. Irish people have opened their houses and their businesses and their properties to people that way, but they will not put up with what is going on at the moment. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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