The right for some spouses, partners and children to live together in Ireland is being denied to them because of problems with the Irish immigration system, a report published today has found.
The report from the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) said the State lacks legislation giving rights of Irish citizens and non-EU nationals the right to have family members from outside the European Union join them in this country.
Denise Charlton, ICI ceo said it was not acceptable that EU citizens working in this country were entitled to have a non-EU spouse or child join them while an Irish citizen did not have the same rights.
To counter this the ICI said the Immigration and Residence Bill must provide a statutory entitlement to family reunification for Irish residents and all legal residents.
It also wants to see the definition of the family widened to include partners and all dependent family members.
A third ICI recommendation was that the best interests of any children should be a key consideration of any application involving children.
The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell welcomed the report, saying it contributed to the immigration debate.