More than 700 calls per month to immigration support service

The Immigrant Council of Ireland is receiving an average of more than 700 calls a month from migrants enquiring how to secure residency in this country.

The agency said the steady level of demand for advice did not support speculation that many migrants were going home because of the recession.

Chief executive of the ICI Denise Charlton said migrants were entitled to a "fair, transparent and efficient immigration system", but that Ireland "still had a long way to go in understanding who migrates to Ireland and how we can respond appropriately".