Today, the Migrant Rights Centre, a non-governmental organisation funded by the Government, organised a protest outside Leinster House seeking to reform family reunification rules, aiming to ease the process for migrants seeking to bring their relatives to Ireland.
The group draws funding from several Irish government departments, such as the Departments of Children, Justice, and Rural and Community Development. It also benefits from contributions by state agencies like Pobal and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
Additionally, some of its income comes from investment funds jointly supported by the Irish government and the European Union, as well as from Rethink Ireland – an initiative created by the Irish government in 2013 which receives significant financial backing from the State.
On top of these income sources, the Migrant Rights Centre receives substantial support from the Open Society Foundations, led by Hungarian billionaire activist George Soros.
Although the Government updated the immigration arrangements in May 2024 for spouses and partners of non-EEA workers on General Employment Permits and Intra-Company Transfer Permits, the MRCI maintains that significant obstacles within the family reunification system still remain.
Today’s demonstration, attended by the trade union SIPTU, heard from a number of migrant workers who are employed in areas such the care sector. Under current regulations, these individuals must wait 12 months before they can apply to reunite with their families in the country.
Furthermore, the Migrants Rights Centre noted that such applicants often face an extra 18-month delay before being processed, and that there are certain income criteria.
Meanwhile, those with Critical Skills Employment Permits (CSEPs), employed in highly skilled positions, can seek family reunification straight away, without any income consideration.
The MRCI is calling for the removal of both the current waiting period and the income requirements, arguing that this would allow all full-time migrant workers in Ireland to bring their families into the country through standard family reunification routes.