Green card plan for skilled immigrants

THE Government is planning a green card system for highly skilled immigrants from outside the European Union, but the much maligned work permits will remain for low-paid workers.

Following the enlargement of the EU, the Government expects that 70% of immigrant labour requirements will be met from the new member states, whose citizens are now entitled to work and live in this country.

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell is to bring forward proposals for a visa system, modelled on the green cards in operation in the US and Australia.

But the green cards will only be aimed at skilled workers to allow them move between jobs. Work permits will still be used for companies seeking low-skilled workers, despite Mr McDowell saying people should not be in this country on the basis of one relationship with one employer.

Branded as bonded labour, the work permits system has been severely criticised for tying the worker to their employer and therefore leaving them open to abuse.

Tánaiste Mary Harney is a defender of work permits as the best option for filling vacancies.

Despite Ms Harney’s previous dismissal of the proposal as unsuitable, the Tánaiste’s spokesperson said she is now broadly in favour of the green cards system running in tandem with work permits.

Last week’s RTÉ Prime Time investigation provided graphic evidence to support anecdotal reports of widespread abuse and exploitation of work permit employees.

Yet Ms Harney claims low-skilled workers would be far more liable to suffer from mistreatment if they came here with no job.

There are an estimated 100,000 foreign workers in this country with more than half coming from the established EU member states.

Last year, 45,000 work permits were issued, but more than half of these workers came from the 10 accession states. Now that workers from the 10 new member states no longer need work permits, there is expected to be a significant reduction in the numbers being issued.

The Government has been toying with the idea of green cards for the past two years, but Mr McDowell said last week he intends to bring proposals to the Cabinet for some form of system, whereby migrants can move from job to job and not be tied to one employer.

“If somebody comes into Ireland to be a nurse or a psychiatrist, a draughtsman or a software engineer, he or she can go from that employment to some other employment without effectively invalidating their status in Ireland. I regard that as a rational change in our laws,” he told the Seanad.

He agreed migrants should not be in this country on the basis of one relationship with one employer. “That is not a proper way to deal with the migration issue,” he said.