Minister wants asylum seekers to be able to work after two months

"We need people to build houses first and foremost," Neale Richmond said, stating there are 1,000 Ukrainians working in the construction sector. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire

A Government minister has said he wants asylum seekers to be able to work after two months in Ireland once they’re “completely verified” and fit to do so.

Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Neale Richmond, has also said he wants changes made to the family reunification system.

Under current rules, asylum seekers can apply for permission to work here if they have not received a decision on their international protection application after five months.

Mr Richmond said: “I'd be in favour of cutting that back to two months once they're completely verified and they're fit for work.

“If people are in a reception centre and they don’t have something to do necessarily during the day and are fit for work... if they're here and say, 'look, we've managed to get out of Afghanistan or Syria but it turns out I'm a mechanical engineer or a carpenter', there’s jobs for them,” he said.

However, his comments will be seen as a pull factor for immigration at a time when there are more than 1,000 asylum seekers sleeping rough due to a lack of State accommodation.

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When asked where people would live, Mr Richmond said that is a “chicken and egg” situation. 

He said the Government should look at projects that are earmarked for large scale development that won't be ready for a number of years and instead repurpose it for asylum seekers.

"We need people to build houses first and foremost," he said, stating there are 1,000 Ukrainians working in the construction sector.

On work permits, he said 31,000 were issued last year and he does not see housing as an issue for these workers. 

He said a lot of people here on work permits are having housing supplied by their employer.

Currently anyone in Ireland on a critical skills permit can have their spouse travel to Ireland and also has access to the labour market immediately.

But if a person is here on a work permit, their family cannot join them until after the first year of employment and their spouse must apply for the same work permit. 

Mr Richmond said he will be speaking to Justice Minister Helen McEntee in a bid to change this process. 

He said the last thing he wants to do is issue a work permit for someone and then they have to go home after four months because they cannot bring their spouse or children here. 

He said he is aware of one instance where an obstetrician who came to work here has not seen her children in two years.

Mr Richmond said what his department is looking to do in the coming months is merge the two systems to make it quicker.

He said a visa might take up to eight weeks, but a work permit can be issued in under 20 days. 

He said rather having someone waiting to start their job because they are stuck in limbo with their visa, he wants one process which would see the work permit and visa come through within four weeks.

“In turn, we then have to open up that their spouse should be able to come over as part of family reunification much earlier. 

"We have to make it easier for people to really make a life here.”