SANDY HAZEL is a keen observer at one of Minister for Integration Conor Leni-han’s first public engagements in his new post
After some fairly salubrious sandwiches and coffee, the group moved in to the boardroom for a ‘round table’ discussion. A relaxed and genial Lenihan was happy to sit and chat to various families who are presently in the immigration process and are being asssisted helped by the ICI. It was as informal a chat as you can possibly have while surrounded by cameras flashing and journalists jotting, and infants straining to grasp at the plates of posh chocolate biscuits which were just out of reach.
The families put their own particular cases to the minister, outlining their problems and the logistics of their cause. One woman apologised for pleading for her own family but insisted that it is natural for any mother to try and get her own son to live with her. Lenihan took notes and nodded, promising to “look into it further” and asking for particulars.
Another immigrant told of how she and her husband could not apply for a mortgage or affordable accommodation as both of them had different types of immigration stamps. The assembled solicitors and rights workers outlined problems associated with the varied interpretations of the many immigration procedures.
It was pointed out that employment permit legislation was another grey area, and that many employers are “shying away from work permits as there is a perception that the permit will cause hassle, and that it is easier to employ EU workers”.
The minister listened and took it all in, but on more than one occasion he deflected the issue of permits and visas as being the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
Minister Lenihan agreed that there is some way to go in getting overseas qualifications recognised in Ireland and that work has been done around the issue of ‘agency employers’, but he also said: “I don’t have all the answers.” While the intervention of a minister could be important in an immigration case, and one can feel certain that the minister will ‘look into it’, it is hard not to think of all the families who are no so fortunate to have such face-to-face access with a minister.
The critical need to clarify the status of immigrants as they try to integrate into Irish society is being highlighted by the ICI. The role of the new Minister of State for Integration Policy is to bring together in one administrative unit the key officials from relevant Government departments who provide services to immigrants. What remains to be seen is how effective a unit it can be.
