Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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85. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the up-to-date position on implementation of a single permit system for visas and work permits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68401/25]

Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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I have been working closely with the Minister of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to ensure that Ireland's legal employment pathways are as efficient and convenient as possible.

I know the Deputy has brought this up in recent months and since then I have had a very productive meeting with Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon and his officials in relation to this project.

As I know the Deputy is aware, in May 2024 Government approval was secured for our plan to introduce a single permit to both work and live in Ireland.

Currently, employment permits, visa applications and residency permits are processed separately. A detailed plan is being developed to unify these processes and an implementation team is working to introduce a single permit. Once this is in place Ireland can seek to opt-in to the EU Single Permit Directive.

This is a complex technical project, involving linking two separate IT systems, and is likely to require legislative amendment. Completion is expected in 2027.

In the short term, streamlining the process will ensure that information requests and checks won’t be duplicated. Customer experience will be improved through aligning online information and introducing a single payment model. These steps will simplify the process while a common application platform is being developed.

Last year, changes were introduced that have enabled spouses and partners of employment permit holders to take up employment without separate authorisation.

These initiatives support the long-term sustainability of our economy and recognise the important contribution legal migrants make across our economy and society.

My Department is also leading on the development of a National Migration and Integration Strategy to address the demands and opportunities facing Ireland in the coming decade.

We are working with a wide range of other Government departments to develop this strategy with the aim to publish Ireland’s first whole-of-government Migration and Integration Strategy in 2026.