IMMIGRANT AND education groups have criticised a decision to raise by 50 per cent the cost of registering with border and immigration authorities.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) announced on its website this week that, as of today, the registration fee for most of those from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) will rise to €150, an increase of €50 on the charge introduced in 2006.
The increase coincides with the introduction of fingerprinting of immigrants registering with the GNIB.
John Cunningham, Immigrant Council of Ireland chair, said the increase would particularly affect work permit holders with families and international students. He said a work permit holder with a dependant spouse and a child over the age of 16 will now have to pay not only €1,000 for the two-year work permit, but also €450 a year to register with the GNIB.
The extra burden on foreign students would be compounded by new rules, expected to be adopted by Government soon, which will require non-EEA students to apply for a work permit before they can take up a part-time job to finance their studies.
“It should be remembered that international students contribute about €900 million to our economy each year, have restrictions placed on how much work they can undertake and pay very high fees to attend educational institutions . . . ,” he said.
“These new rules and fees come online at a time when Ireland is trying to compete with other countries as a destination for international students and when we, as a country, are trying to double the number of students who come here.”
Some categories of immigrants, including refugees and children aged under 18, are exempt from the registration fee.
Separately, the body representing English-language schools said the increase would put Ireland at a disadvantage in competing with other countries for lucrative international students.
“The international student market to Ireland is now worth €900 million to the Irish economy and this new measure will send shockwaves through the sector and has the potential of putting Irish jobs at risk,” said Adrian Cummins, chief executive of MEI-RELSA.
The Migrant Rights Centre also criticised the fee increase. “It is completely unacceptable and unjust to generate revenue on the back of non-EU workers and students, many of whom are struggling to support themselves and their families,” Jacqueline Healy, its deputy director, said.
In a statement, the Department of Justice said that since last Monday, a new fingerprinting system has been in place for all those who require permission to reside here. Their fingerprints will be embedded in a biometric chip on their registration card.
“The costs of providing this system reflected in the increased fee. An element is also included related to inflation since the fee was introduced over two years ago,” it added.
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service recently announced citizen fees would rise by just under 50 per cent to €950 for adults and €200 for children.