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

Ireland has:

A population of only about 5.3 million.

One of the fastest population growth rates in Europe.

A limited housing stock and persistent housing crisis.

Strained public services (GP access, schools, transport).

Rural areas with declining populations but limited job availability.

Because Ireland is small and already dealing with structural constraints, even moderate increases in population have stronger effects than they might in larger countries like France, Germany, or the UK.

If we are going to criticise shortages of housing, hospital beds, hospital waiting times, then we have to accept that these things are related to the growth of the population as well as supply. As the natural increase is about 19,400, it follows that the vast majority of the population increase is immigration.

Minister Jim O'Callaghan made a good point about family reunification, that a lot of it are people who become dependent on the State. The elderly and children for example.

They are not going to be paying taxes, so are a net cost to the State.

I agree with the plan to deny naturalisation to someone who has spent most of their time here not working. We need to build incentives into the system for immigrants to find jobs so that the State can recoup in taxes what we are spending on asylum.

Excluding Corporation Tax, Ireland has a deficit of €14 bn.

So right. A major problem as I see it, regardless of one's opinion of migration, is our inability to develop the houses and infrastructure necessary to deal with the increased population. I live in rural Clare close to Limerick City. I know the area so well. it is amazing how long it is taking families to get basic construction jobs done. Extensions that previously took weeks can now take over a year. There are long waits for craftsmen, most of whom have taken jobs in local industries at very good salaries. We have a number of minor jobs to be done on our home, replacement of lights, change of sink, repairs to presses etc. We have loads of contacts but it is virtually impossible to get a craftsman.

A relation trying to build a new house is faced with on-going difficulties, zoning issues on one site, 20,000 on a percolation costs on another, plus such detailed planning stipulations on all sites, that he won't be able to proceed imo. As for bigger projects! The population of Mid-West is exploding, so many migrants, most working, plus the natural population increase , with schools full etc. As an aside, I'm not sure that all the migrants ever fill up a census form so the true numbers as evident in any walk through Limerick City indicates, can only be guessed at.

The area desperately needs a second large hospital but the length of time the planning procedure will take and the incredible costs involved in the construction of it, means that it will take decades to complete, if indeed it ever happens. Unless the government introduces 'revolutionary' changes to our planning system, and planning regulations etc etc, the situation will continue to get worse.

Paywalled in Irish Independent.

Americans moving here increased by 96% to 9,600 last year.

Gun crime, trans rights and Trump the reasons.

At 4 to a house that would require 2,400 homes to accommodate them alone.

Cost of their treatment picked up by the HSE I presume.

I worked in 3 non-EU countires on work permits. For each one, I had to show I had private medical insurance for each specific country before I was granted the visa.

The mystery of our time is why the government resisted for so long a policy that would make its own job easier and which was overwhelmingly popular.

because they are afraid of the media in the form of rte and the Irish times

I think we need to be realistic, we can’t solve the problems of the world. It’s not really our responsibility either. We shouldn’t feel an obligation to offer asylum to everyone living in difficulties throughout the world.

It's unclear what will happen here. The Accommodation Recognition Payment for Ukrainians is due on paper to expire at the end of March. It seems somewhat unlikely they would just totally pull the plug on the payment at very short notice - perhaps they will announce a gradual winding down of the scheme or give a firm fixed date on when it actually will end to give everyone involved a chance to get their affairs in order.

It’s a combination of legal and unlawful migration plus family reunification. Good on JO’Callaghan to put some restrictions and better controls in place at last but he needs to do more.

For instance, there have been thousands of spurious student visas issued here in the past few decades. I remember a friend was doing an evening course in Dublin and he was only one of a handful of local students in the college. The other 95% were from Asian, Indian or other non EU countries. They all had part-time jobs and used the study route to bypass stricter immigration rules. Most are still here, they all meet up as the college organises numerous social events. There were a lot of dodgy language schools and colleges who arranged the full package, course/work/accommodation for huge fees. Some went bust but many are still operating.

I’ve also heard stories of a new scam where ethnic restaurants all over the country are applying for huge numbers of work visas but the jobs are bogus. It’s not only the fake and unsuccessful AS/IPA applicants that need to be removed, the other scams also need to be stopped.

Amazing how uniform support is across the political parties. 76 ± 1%. The electorate have really let down the likes of Sinn Fein and the other left-wing parties. I wonder can they be forgiven?

Amazing, maybe they’re all finally realising the mess they’ve created and how people are fed up with being dismissed and ignored by elected representatives - not to mention the cost of all the madness.
A cynic might think the transformation is more to do with the two upcoming by-elections rather than a real shift in their principles.

100%,I could fathom how when local TDs must have been getting it the neck for ages there wasnt a peep out of them,i surmise any dissent from the party line was shut down by playing the EU card,we have responsibilities etc,Denmarkput a hole in that logic and the Dam has rightly burst now.Of course the reparation of family members for those on work permits is to me a bigger problem at the moment.

What sort of visas are US people getting to live here?