Immigration and Ireland - MEGATHREAD *Mod Note Added 02/09/25*

So how would immigration be curbed then? Don't allow international students to work? That's why most indians come here as they can get a job after they get a level 8 and above qualification here. I suppose they could stop giving working rights to English language students too.

What about multinationals and new businesses opening? Are they to be told they can't hire from abroad any more?

If Google open a new wing do all the new cleaning and canteen staff need to be Irish? I would imagine it's very hard to fill low paid jobs like that these days in Dublin anyway.

I don't think there's an easy way of drastically reducing immigration without really p*ssing off a lot of industry.

The likes of meat processing etc have required immigrant staff for decades now because irish people don't want to do jobs like that any more, and I know I'll be pilloried on here for saying that, even though it happens in all countries that get rich.

I mean when Reform take over in the UK how is Big Nige gonna drastically reduce immigration without p*ssing off his buddies in business?

It's not cheap Indian labour many work in tech for good salaries. There are an endless amount of highly qualified developers etc. from India that can be recruited. You see loads of posts on reddit from indians asking what it's like to live on 100k in Ireland as they've been offered jobs.

Indian nurses are hired because they're needed no? They don't get paid any less than Irish nurses as far as I know, or do they?

Shop assistants I would imagine are studying here, there are 1000s of Indian students in Dublin alone.

How would you actually stop immigration without affecting businesses? I know you don't care about businesses but these are the people who matter in this country and call the shots.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/36333612/asylum-seekers-housed-town-centres-small-boat-immigration/

Labour really digging a hole for themselves. One councillor saying migrant centres need to be put near schools to help integrate migrants, this after a fourteen year old girls was raped last week by a migrant and let’s not forget the grooming gangs. Why not place them beside the private schools in wealthier areas for a change?

Cheaper, however, than if multinationals were forced to recruit purely from Irish and EU labour pools.

Yes you would imagine but it won't make it true. Brazilian deliveroo drivers are here on student visas…

In the last 18 months or so I’ve been to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, London - all cities in countries where immigration has become a hugely contentious issue, with a clear shift to the right among voters.

However, walking down their streets, being in their cafes, public transport, etc I was actually very surprised that each city still felt true to its national identity. I remember getting the bus around Rome a couple of times and nearly every person was/speaking Italian. That level of linguistic and cultural cohesion feels increasingly rare in Dublin today.

In places like Paris or London, yes there’s a high number of people who aren’t ethnically French or English (not looking to start that debate!). But they are French or English. They were born there, they speak the language, with local accents. These cities have long histories of immigration, and you can see how, over generations, integration has taken place - imperfectly, but meaningfully.

Not sure if it’s because it’s a much smaller city, but Dublin feels in some ways even more multi-cultural than any of those cities - and yet we don’t share the same long-term immigration history. It feels like we’ve gone from relatively little immigration to significant demographic change in a very short space of time. All the metrics are telling us we need to slow down. This isn’t about closing doors - but about taking a breath. About giving ourselves time to adapt, to plan, to ensure that the social fabric is strong enough to hold everyone. A multicultural society works best when there’s space for connection, not just coexistence.

student visas to learn English

You are aware that all these English schools are in fact visa for money scams? You can learn English in Brazil, and you can learn English in India.

https://www.irishtimes.com/podcasts/in-the-news/what-is-the-english-language-school-visa-scam-and-who-is-behind-it/

so appease business no matter the consequences?

Could I hear your argument for this? What about the effect on rents and house prices?

Its painfully obvious to those with brain cells that certain sections of the public do not care about anything expect causing violence and will have no doubt "influenced" lets say weaker minded people to cause trouble also. What I will say is Ireland as a country needs to careful with the Hate Speech law, we already have The Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 but what will define hatred if new laws come in and how easy will it be used by those who get offended easier than the next person

Who knew?

I knew. This happens everywhere, they are one of the few who do work, and generally they are more successful than the locals and migrants from other places.

But this is a country, not a corporation.