UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS living and working in Ireland could generate between €75 million and €100 million a year through PRSI, taxes, work permits and immigration fees if they were legalised, a group representing migrants has claimed.
Migrant Rights Centre Ireland is calling for an “earned regularisation” programme which would require illegal immigrants to work over a period of time, pay taxes and meet other criteria before being allowed residency.
Edel McGinley, irregular migration project leader with the organisation, said: “We’re not saying people should be given carte blanche – this is a very thoughtful and responsible reaction to the situation we find ourselves in. This problem is not going to go away.”
The organisation estimates there are 30,000 illegal migrants living here. It bases its estimate on figures from the Department of Justice’s 2008 annual report and EU research.
This figure excludes subsequent deportations, those granted leave to remain, migrants who received recognition under the Undocumented Workers Scheme 2009 and the approximately 17,000 people regularised under the Irish-born child scheme.
Ms McGinley said such a scheme would address the exploitation of illegal migrants who are often forced to work long shifts without adequate remuneration. “People who are undocumented are definitely at greater risk of exploitation,” she said.
She added that people became undocumented for a number of reasons: “Many people enter the State legally and either fall out of the system or overstay their immigration status . . . Some were told during the Celtic Tiger era it was easy to get employment here.Some were lured under false pretences.”
Many migrants came here in the false belief their employers would organise a visa, she said.
“A huge amount of hypocrisy” existed around undocumented immigrants given the Government has supported a programme for illegal Irish immigrants in the US similar to that proposed by the Migrant Rights Centre, she added.
However, a spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said any programme that rewarded or was perceived to reward illegal behaviour or the abuse of immigration laws would be “problematic”.
“Many migrants abide by the laws of the State, pay their taxes and comply fully with Ireland’s immigration laws. Many other people would have liked to come to Ireland and work, but accepted that the opportunity of doing so legally was not available to them,” she said. There was also a significant risk regularisation would encourage further illegal immigration, the spokeswoman said.
Undocumented immigrants had the option of bringing themselves to the attention of the authorities to seek the permission of the Minister to remain, she said. But this did not confer any additional status on the individual and could lead to their deportation.
“One option, that for some reason seems to be constantly ignored, is the fact that the applicant could return home and apply on an above-board basis for permission to come back to Ireland,” the spokeswoman added.
In 2009, the Government operated the Undocumented Workers Scheme for those whose transition to undocumented status was through no fault of their own.