The Green Party has today welcomed the announcement that a policy paper has been prepared by the Department of Justice to set up a residency scheme for long-term undocumented people living and working in Ireland, along with their children.

This is expected to enable up to 17,000 people (3,000 of whom are children) to apply for residency permits.

As Green Party Spokesperson for Justice I believe this announcement reflects the commitment in the Programme for Government, and the push by the Green Party in the negotiations, to creating new pathways for long-term undocumented people and their dependents, and to regularise their status within 18 months of the formation of the Government.

Roderic O’Gorman TD, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth also welcomed the development stating: “This will represent a significant move forward in securing stability and rights for the thousands of migrants living in Ireland. Many of these people are at the forefront of the Covid-19 crisis working in essential services across healthcare and retail among others, while many of these children do not have the same rights to access third-level education. I look forward to the new policy being implemented in 2021.”

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