IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Ireland will soon shift formal responsibility for immigration registration from the Garda National Immigration Bureau to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.

What does the change mean? The Minister for Justice and Equality is expected to sign a statutory instrument in August or September to formally transfer authority from GNIB to INIS. INIS, with support from GNIB, is already taking the lead on immigration registration. Non-EEA nationals who arrive in Ireland with the intention of staying more than three months now register at GNIB offices staffed by INIS officers. Ireland has also announced that beginning in August or September it will move to an online booking system for immigration registration that should save registrants significant time.

  • Implementation time frame: Ongoing. INIS assumed functional responsibility for immigration registration Monday, but authority will not be formally transferred until August or September.
  • Visas/permits affected:Certificates of registration (registration cards).
  • Who is affected: Non-EEA nationals who are required to register with immigration authorities in Ireland.
  • Impact on processing times: There is currently no significant impact, but the online system is expected to save affected non-EEA nationals time because they will not have to wait in queues for appointment tickets.

Background: Non-EEA nationals who arrive in Ireland with the intention of staying more than three months must register with an immigration officer and obtain a registration card. Registrants in Dublin are required to register at the GNIB offices in Burgh Quay, while those outside of Dublin must contact a local GNIB station. This process remains unchanged even with the shift in authority, as INIS staff is now working out of GNIB offices to handle immigration registration.

BAL Analysis: INIS’s assumption of immigration registration responsibilities follows Ireland’s move to put INIS in charge of the entry visa and re-entry visa processes. The INIS online appointment system, once implemented, is expected to ease the burden of registration because those in need of registering will be able to select an appointment time that works with their schedule without waiting in queues.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in the United Kingdom. For additional information, please contact uk@bal.com.

Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.