Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy has said survivors and victims of domestic abuse are now exempt from paying the €300 registration fee for immigration residency permits.
The move was confirmed by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in a statement on the matter.
The department said minister Brophy has now signed the necessary regulations to give effect to the move.
Exemptions for the €300 fee already apply to the following:
Gript has previously reported that the state generated over €71 million from fees associated with the provision of Irish Residency Permit Cards in 2023 in addition to the generation of fees valued at over €58 million over the course of 2022.
At the time of Gript’s reporting an additional €11 million was taken in, bringing the total as of March 2024 to €141 million.
According to the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration statement, under the current immigration guidelines anyone who experiences domestic abuse and whose permission to be in Ireland is linked to the perpetrator of that abuse, can apply to the Immigration Service for a separate independent immigration permission.
However, it now maintains that providing a separate and independent permission removes barriers for people to leave abusive relationships or unsafe family environments. The department says that “the application for this permission is free and requests are dealt with sensitively by the immigration authorities.”