Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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293. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the review of the criteria for residency permits for medical professionals, as outlined in correspondence (details supplied); if there is a date by which the new criteria are expected to be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26897/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2022, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Health and my Department introduced changes to the working arrangements and immigration permissions for non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHD). These changes were intended to be beneficial to doctors who require such permissions and who have made an enormous contribution to the Irish health service.

Since September 2022, all NCHDs applying for a 1st-time registration or renewal of a residence permission, and who have a Multi-Site General Employment permit from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, are issued with a Stamp 1H.

A Stamp 1H applicant moving to Stamp 4 has the same conditions as a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) holder and will be granted a 2 year validity period. Their spouses may be granted a Stamp 1G immigration permission for 1 year at a time.

In this case it appears that the person had moved from a General Employment Permit Stamp 1 permission to a Stamp 4 permission prior to the introduction of the Multi-site General Employment Permit and Stamp 1H permission. I have asked that officials in my Department engage with the person concerned to assess what practical implications of this may be and what measures, if any, can be taken to address them.