75% of survey support asylum seeker work

THREE quarters of people surveyed believe that asylum seekers should be allowed work while waiting for their applications to be processed.

The survey has found that the majority of people living in Limerick city want immigrants to work despite the economic downturn.

The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) said the findings are in keeping with public opinion nationwide.

“We always knew that the majority of people share this view. Even those who are least understanding and hostile to asylum seekers believe they have a right to work,” said council chief executive Peter O’Mahony said. One fifth of people surveyed in the Live95fm radio poll were opposed to asylum seekers being granted work permits, and 5% were undecided.

“Most people know that giving immigrants permits does not mean granting them jobs. It just gives them the right to apply for a job,” Mr O’Mahony said.

Asylum seekers here are not allowed to work under the provisions of the 1996 Refugee Act.

Last year both the trade unions and the employers’ group IBEC called for legislation that would allow asylum seekers to work, if they spend more than six months here.

The Refugee Council is angry that the Government failed to give this proposal the green light.

“Everyone came together to support this but the Government refused to budge. These new findings are very positive because they show that even though the economic boom is gone, people still want asylum seekers to work,” Mr O’Mahony said.

The council added that the immigrant community here contains some highly skilled professions.

In Galway alone there are asylum seekers from more than 40 professions, Mr O’Mahony said.

The only asylum seekers who are permitted to work here are the 4,000 who applied for permits before July 27, 1999. The Government allowed immigrants who had applied for asylum before that date to apply for work.

A special unit was established in the state employment agency FAS to cater for these workers.

Currently The majority of asylum applications are being processed by the Department of Justice within six months.

However, the IRC insist that several people have waited 18 months to have an application processed.

“It has speeded up but there are people waiting for several months and the Government still won’t let them work while they’re waiting,” Mr O’Mahony said.