Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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25. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if there are efforts underway in his Department to streamline the process of work permits and visas for non-EEA nationals into a single integrated process so that a work permit will not expire before a visa is granted; if his Department has had any engagement with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in relation to this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61765/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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On 13th December 2022, the Government agreed in principle to develop a single application procedure for employment permits and immigration permissions, in line with the recast Single Permit Directive. Since then, my Department has engaged extensively with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (DJHAM) to progress this commitment.

A May 2024 Government decision agreed, in principle, that Ireland should opt-into the Single Permit Directive. To facilitate this, a programme management team, co-chaired by my Department and DJHAM, was established to oversee the implementation of a single procedure for employment and immigration permissions. Work is ongoing and aiming for implementation in 2027.

A crucial step in creating a single application procedure between my Department and DJHAM is the interoperability of our respective systems. I am pleased to inform you that the new ‘Employment Permits Online’ system launched earlier this year, providing a secure, cloud-based system for the application, processing, and issuance of employment permits. This system, which sits on a Microsoft Power Platform is based on similar technologies that the DJHAM’s various systems are expected to move to and will support the infrastructure required for a single application process across the two departments.

In addition to this important milestone, the project management team, co-chaired by my Department and the DJHAM have been laying the groundwork for the enhanced sharing of information between our IT systems, any legislative changes required for this, and engaging with EU bodies and Member States with processes in place that are similar to what we are currently developing. With a modern, adaptable employment permit system now in place, this collaboration will continue in earnest over the next year, focusing on initial streamlining while working towards a fully implemented single application procedure by 2027.

In the short-term and in recognition of the Market Diversity Action Plan, both Departments are actively exploring options to expedite visa processing for critical skills employment permit holders in high-demand sectors.

These developments mark a necessary and significant step towards a more integrated and efficient employment permit and visa system, ultimately bringing us closer to our goal of a Single Permit application procedure. My Department remains committed to delivering a streamlined and customer focused service.