The long queues which gather daily outside the offices of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service are a very public symptom of a broken system. Most wait for hours in the hope of securing simple documents such as re-entry visa or identity card. For families this often means taking children from school. For employees. it means lost work days with no little guarantee they will be seen by the end of the day.
The legislation which underpins the immigration system itself is also failing. There are no clear rules regarding issues such as family reunification, the rights and obligations of migrants seeking to come to Ireland or the conditions on which residence permission should be granted .
The Government’s knows this is an area in dire need of reform. Successive governments have published draft immigration and residence legislation in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Yet, none of these bills were ever enacted. As a result, the lack of clarity persists over matters which can have a profound impact on the lives of people who now call Ireland home.
There are similarities, too, with our dysfunctional asylum system. It is resulting in thousands of people spending years in conditions which are damaging to the health, welfare and life chances of those who endure them. Just as with the immigration system, however, there has been precious little political will to change it.
A working group has been set up by the Government in recent weeks to review aspects of the direct provision system. This, at least, is a welcome development. But much more reform is needed. Long-awaited legislation which would provide clarity to migrants and their families is long overdue.
The Government has spent much time and energy trying to attract skilled workers, students and professionals into this country. They contribute to the State in a variety of important ways. The very least we can do is, in turn, is provide them with an immigration system which respects their rights .