Report calls for acceptance of immigration

Immigration will continue and it would be better to accept this and address the problems, the main author of a series of reports from the ESRI has said.

Prof Gerry Hughes, director of the Irish office in the European Migration Network (EMN), was speaking yesterday at the publication of four reports on immigration and asylum policy.

The authors point to problems faced by immigrants including the work permit system, family reunification, integrating into Irish society and the "direct provision" system of accommodating asylum seekers.

The reports are published by the EMN, for which the ESRI is the Irish contact point.

In the largest of the reports, The Impact of Immigration on Europe's Societies: Ireland, the authors say acceptance of the fact that immigration is likely to continue and that it is necessary for economic growth, "would create a better climate for the development of a more managed immigration policy".

Ireland has become a country of net immigration, Prof Hughes and EMN archivist Emma Quinn point out. While 18,500 Irish people emigrated last year, 50,100 non-nationals arrived - the highest proportion coming from outside the EU.

The authors say the number of work permits issued has grown enormously in the past six years. In 2003, 47,551 permits were issued - up from 6,250 in 1999.

Work permits have been issued to people from 152 countries, though the majority come from five countries - Latvia, Lithuania, the Philippines, Poland and Romania.

Data on work permit renewals, the authors continue, suggest "many non-EU employees wish to work in Ireland for a longer period [ one year] than is covered by the work permit system" and that employers wish to employ them for longer.

The report also refers to family reunification and the apparent lack of clarity on the criteria for granting or refusing permission to migrants to bring their families to Ireland.

"More attention could be given by the agencies responsible . . . to explaining why differences exist [between people's experience of the process] and how long the processing of applications may take."

Interaction between immigrants and the host community is limited. There is "significant isolation" among asylum seekers and other immigrants. "This suggests minorities are operating in separate social networks."

The mainstream political parties are also failing to interact with the new communities.

The "main political parties have not yet begun to investigate their non-national membership", the report says.

On the situation of asylum seekers, the authors call for research to establish whether the direct provision system of accommodating this group should be ended. Under the system, asylum seekers are provided with accommodation and all meals in centres around the country.

The authors quote research saying the system "negatively impacts on physical and mental health" of asylum seekers.