Migrant workers protest outside Dáil over family visa rules

Migrant healthcare workers hold a protest outside the Dáil on Tuesday. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Hundreds of migrant workers have held a protest outside the Dáil to highlight their suffering at being separated from their families in order to work in Ireland.

The Migrant Nurses Ireland group, which consists of around 1,000 workers from India and the Philippines, said most of them are employed in the private sector and earn €27,000 a year on average.

However, in order to qualify for a family visa, which would allow their spouses and children to move to Ireland, they need to be on a bigger salary.

Moving a spouse to Ireland would require a salary of €30,000 per annum and to bring a child here is €33,000. 

The salary threshold increases with more children.

“The cost goes up and up,” Sheji Joseph told the Irish Examiner. 

“I have two kids and they are in India with my husband.

I can’t move them here unless my salary goes up. I am on €27,000 per year so I am trapped. I rent with other workers, and I share a room. I miss my kids so much and my husband, but I am stuck.”

The mother of two has been working in Beaumont Lodge transitional care unit in north Dublin for the past year.

“I'm working as a nurse’s assistant in healthcare. I was working as a fully trained nurse in Saudi Arabia, and I’m a registered nurse.

“I have two children, aged seven and 15. To have my two children here I need to be on €36,000 annual income. We all feel the same, we are all crying for our families. It is bad for our mental health in this situation."

Another worker Jeeba Matthew, who has been employed as a healthcare assistant in Kilmainham nursing home in Co Meath, said her four children are in India with her husband.

“My heart is broken,” she said. 

“I am a qualified nurse also, but if I want to work here, I have to do an exam which is English speaking. I won’t get enough scores, I have tried a few times and was not successful.

“They told me I could bring my family after one year when I applied to work here, but then rejected this because I don’t earn enough to get the family visa.

“I am in shared accommodation, and I have four children. The first child is 18, my second is eight, third is six, and my youngest is three. I just want to bring the smaller three here.

“My husband could work here too. I finish at 8pm and start at 8am so I can’t ring them because of the time difference. I will call when I am off. I only speak on my break if I get a chance for a few minutes.

“I needed a visa to come here, but I am on a work permit for healthcare workers which I renew every year. They paid for me to come here on that visa. I didn’t pay for it.

“I am here on a contract and if I break that contract, I would have to pay that back. If I was to go private the visa would be €2,000."

'Badly treated'

Former TD Ruth Coppinger, who organised the protest, said the workers were being “badly treated by the Government”.

“They are working below their qualifications, and they should not have to stand here and protest in order to highlight their situations. They are here because we couldn’t get workers.”