Chef shortage made worse by visa delays, says Cork hotel manager
Delays are contributing to staff shortages here as skilled chefs who want to work in Ireland can be put off by the delays.
Restaurants and hotels are increasingly going to cut their opening hours because of the amount of time it takes the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to process migrant worker visas, a leading hotelier has warned.
Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) vice president Michael Magner said delays in the work permit and visa process are taking up to five months.
He warned the delays are contributing to staff shortages here as skilled chefs who want to work in Ireland can be put off by the delays.
They end up going to different countries, he said, despite a major chef shortage here.
Mr Magner, who is the general manager and owner of Cork’s Vienna Woods Hotel, said: “It is important to say that the system has got better.
“But there are still delays of up to four or five months. The permit might take four to six weeks, the visa process takes longer.
“Then, you have to bear in mind before we even start with the work permit process, we have to advertise the job on the Department of Social Welfare’s website for 28 days.”
“The Government needs to expedite the process as quickly as possible. We would like to see a system where the visa and work permit process work in tandem, so you get both at the same time. This would cut the amount of time involved by at least half.
In October, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Neale Richmond said the Employment Permits Section has so far granted 23,727 employment permits.
He also said that there were at the time 2,471 employment permit applications in “the processing queue”.
He said: “Following the implementation of an internal plan of action which increased resources and implemented efficiency measures, the Employment Permits Unit has significantly reduced the number of applications awaiting processing compared to 2022.
“The Department plans to maintain processing times for all applications at approximately this level, or better, on the assumption that demand remains at current levels.”
Citizens of the EEA, which is the EU, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well as Switzerland and the UK, can live and work in Ireland without an employment permit.
People from a country outside of the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, need permission to live and work in Ireland and may have to apply for an employment permit as well as apply for a visa to enter Ireland.
The type of visa people need depends on the reason for their stay in Ireland and the length they intend to stay.
John Nallon, who runs Clonmel's Minella Hotel, said: "Going back, it took you a year to get the work permit and three weeks to get the visa.
“Now, you get the permit in three weeks and it’ll take you six months to get the visa. It’s just crazy.”
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