Sir – Many international workers in the self-proclaimed "Silicon Valley of Europe" will be stunned that they are forced to join archaic and chaotic queues outside the Garda National Immigration Bureau on Burgh Quay in Dublin ("Our broken immigration system", Editorial, November 18th).
The scenes belong to a difference era. It is time the Government used new technology and the knowledge base it is so fond of boasting about to introduce a modern, clear and fair immigration system.
It is clear from your editorial and the excellent coverage by your correspondent Carl O'Brien ("A day in the life at the State's immigration offices", November 17th) that the policy of forcing the equivalent of the population of Cork city through a single public office has failed. – Yours, etc,
JENNIFER MURPHY,
Ballyvolane,
Cork.
Sir, – The scenes outside the Garda National Immigration Bureau are just one symptom of the failure of successive Governments to honour commitments to bring forward comprehensive immigration legislation.
It is now over a decade since the first consultation took place on an Immigration Residency and Protection Bill; this has been followed by drafts and redrafts but no actual reforms. The Bill remains off the current Government’s list of promised legislation.
Given that there is little possibility of legal measures before the next election, the Immigrant Council of Ireland is attempting to secure changes which do not require laws.
We would like to see the use of new technology to introduce online processes for routine applications and extra resources for frontline staff at Burgh Quay to ease the queues immediately, and perhaps learning from the experiences of the reform of the Passport Office.
There are measures too which could make the system easier to navigate, such as including the introduction of clear rules and guidelines, where often there are none. Such a move would not only benefit applicants but also officials who are caught in a system that is overdependent on discretion.
It remains unacceptable that clients of the immigration system do not enjoy the benefits of the protection of the Office of the Ombudsman. We would like to see this extended or the some other independent appeals mechanism for those whose applications have been rejected.
Our proposals make sense for those on both sides of the counter at Burgh Quay. We continue to work with politicians from all sides to try and ensure the queues will quickly be confined to history. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN KILLORAN,
Integration and Support
Service Manager,
Immigrant Council
of Ireland,
Andrew Street,
Dublin 2.