A SHIFT in administrative responsibility from local to national level will see the up to 18-week waiting times for those applying for residence in Limerick significantly slashed.
This comes as Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced that, as of July 8, responsibility for first-time registrations and renewals for Irish immigration resident permission is to change from its current offices at Henry Street, under the scope of the Garda National Immigration Bureau, to the Registration Office of the Immigration Service Delivery, under the scope of the Department of Justice, in Dublin.
There were some 10,000 first registrations and 22,000 renewals of permission carried out by Gardaí in Limerick and Cork so far this year.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee has announced that responsibility for first time registrations and renewals of Irish immigration residence permission for non-EU/EEA/UK/Swiss nationals residing in counties Cork and Limerick will transfer as of July 8.
Both non-residents seeking work and employers hoping to fill staff vacancies were becoming increasingly frustrated at the long waiting times for an initial appointment at the Henry Street office.
With effect from July 8, all first-time applicants for an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card living in Limerick will now need to travel to Dublin to register their immigration permissions, instead of attending at an appointment in Henry Street Garda Station.
However, individuals looking to renew their permissions will be able to make an application online and will not need any further in person appointments to renew their residence cards.
With Limerick recognised as multinational hub for MedTech, technology, and advanced Manufacturing, with FDI companies employing over 26,000 people as of 2022, these businesses bring with them a number of international skilled workers who all need to apply for a residence card in Ireland on their arrival, and then typically renew that card on a yearly basis.
The Department of Employment has issued close to 800 employment permits already this year for businesses in Limerick.
