1 of 1 Image of Dublin Castle, Ireland — Photo: Donaldytong/Wikipedia Image of Dublin Castle, Ireland — Photo: Donaldytong/Wikipedia
According to data from the Irish Ministry of Justice, which BBC News Brasil had access to, Brazilians were the immigrants who most frequently applied for their status to be legalized in Ireland.
A total of 1,495 requests from citizens came from Brazil (18% of the total), followed by 1,302 from Pakistan, 1,156 from China (including Hong Kong), 749 from the Philippines and 445 from Nigeria.
Citizens from India (311), Bangladesh (280), Egypt (251), Mauritius (242) and Malaysia (231) complete the list of those who have most requested regularization of their situation. Other countries add up to 1,849 orders.
A total of 8,311 regularization applications have been submitted to the Irish Department of Justice under a temporary scheme to regularize the status of undocumented migrants, ie those who are not permitted to reside in Ireland.
This includes residence permits that have entered the country illegally as well as expired or withdrawn residence permits.
The program, which lasted six months, was also open to those with expired student visas, as long as they met the minimum requirements for undocumented residence the case of many Brazilians (read below).
To apply to the programme, for which applications were received from 31 January to 31 July 2022, applicants must have lived in Ireland for a minimum of four years, or three years for families with children under the age of 18.
Under the program, immigrants receive a twoyear residence permit, which can be renewed after this period. Entry fees ranged from €550 (R$3,040) per person to €700 (R$3,865) for a family.
According to the Irish Department of Justice, the scheme raised €3.73 million (R$20.6 million) in revenue for the public purse.
Most requests came from the 2645 age group, with just over 60% of applicants in this age group.
Applications were also made for 905 children up to the age of 12 and 229 for young people between the ages of 13 and 18.
There were also 12 regularization applications from people aged 76 and over.
As of February 22 this year (latest available data), the number of decisions for program applicants was “5,640, of which 5,284 (94%) positive, 258 (4%) negative and 98 (2%) withdrawn by the complainants for various reasons”, the BBC News Brasil agency said in a statement.
According to Helen McEntee, who was Ireland’s Minister for Justice when the scheme was launched last January, it will “improve the lives of thousands of people across the country who contribute to our society, enrich our culture and work in our economy, but unfortunately they still live in the legal shadow,” he explained at the time.
“People come to Ireland in search of a better life for themselves and their families and for a variety of reasons find themselves undocumented.”
“This scheme will offer those who meet its criteria the opportunity to stay and live in the state and become part of mainstream Irish society rather than living on the fringes.”
At the time, McEntee acknowledged that undocumented migrants “carry a lot of stress and uncertainty about their position in society. Unfortunately, their poor legal status may also make them more vulnerable to exploitation.”
According to the Irish Department of Justice, there is no official reliable data on the number of undocumented people living in Ireland, but studies suggest it could be as high as 17,000, including up to 3,000 children.
Watch a video from 2020 below of the protest over the death of a Brazilian in the city of Dublin.
Brazilian community in Dublin demands justice in the death of a Rio de Janeiro cyclist
Last year, a BBC News Brasil report showed that the number of Brazilians living in Ireland more than quintupled between 2016 and 2022.
In 2016, according to the local census, there were 13,600. Last year, that number reached 70,000, according to estimates by the Brazilian embassy in Dublin.
The country of just over 5 million people and 70,000 km² has become a magnet for foreigners thanks to the ease that newcomers have to find legal employment and become legalized, according to immigration specialists consulted by BBC News Brasil at the time.
The labor market is booming and there are vacancies in various fields, for professionals with or without qualifications.
There is also a huge offer of English courses that attracts hundreds of Brazilians every month.
According to some of these immigrants, in addition to lower costs compared to other countries that also offer language courses, what sets Ireland apart is that it offers a type of study visa that allows you to work parttime or 20 hours a week.
This type of visa, called a Stamp 2, can be applied for immediately upon arrival in Ireland, provided the foreigner can show that he/she is enrolled in a course of a minimum duration of 25 weeks with a reserve of 3,000 euros (approx R$16,500) at the Go through the immigration authorities.
From July this year, this amount will increase to 4,200 euros (R$23,200) for courses up to six months or 700 euros (R$3,800) per month, whichever is lower.
“Some of the students return to Brazil as soon as their visa expires, but another part stays in the country because they find good job opportunities within the law,” César Leite, head of consular services at the embassy in Dublin, told BBC News Brazil then. .
“The demand for labor is very high because the Irish themselves are migrating a lot and there is a gap to be filled,” added the diplomat.
In addition, Ireland has one of the highest minimum wages in Europe (11.30 euros around R$65 per hour), more than countries like Portugal (4.40 euros) and Spain (7.82 euros).
English also attracts many foreigners who already speak the country’s official language and want to live in Europe but don’t want to venture into the continent’s other languages.
Even Brazilians from European families who hold European citizenship and passports choose Ireland as an alternative to more traditional travel destinations. According to the embassy, 25% of the Portuguese and Italians living in the country today are also Brazilian.