Serious consideration should be given to implementing a once-off regularisation programme for undocumented migrants in Ireland, according to a report to be launched today by former president Mary Robinson.
Life in the Shadows, a study of irregular migration published by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI), will suggest that current legislation and policies have contributed to migrants finding themselves undocumented, and that those who have lost their status due to the system's failings should be helped.
It also suggests that migrant workers who have paid social insurance contributions should be able to access benefits regardless of their legal status, and that migrant workers should be allowed transfer between employment schemes and between immigrant categories. This would mean, for example, that a student visa holder could transfer to a work permit.
The document will reiterate the MRCI's call on the Minister for Justice to introduce a "bridging visa" in forthcoming immigration legislation. This would allow those who have become undocumented through no fault of their own to be regularised and find a new job.
This is a privilege currently granted only on a case-by-case basis.
Mrs Robinson, who is chairwoman of the New York-based lobby group Realising Rights: The Ethical Globalisation Initiative, said yesterday she was worried that the questions posed by high immigration were not being adequately considered in Ireland.
"I don't think we have thought through adequately how to make this a very positive experience," she said. "Have we made enough changes to be inclusive? I think we still have a long way to go there."
She also spoke of "flashpoints" where schools have too many migrant children in their catchment areas.
"We need to think about that - how it's possible to ensure that there's not only integration but also a very good balance within schools so that there isn't a build-up of resentment or xenophobia. Otherwise we will have problems," she told The Irish Times.
