The Indian manager of the Chandni restaurant in Ballsbridge came to Ireland in 2003, and despite being able to prove he had access to €60,000, the department refused to allow his family to join him in Ireland on the grounds of “finance”.
“It made no sense,” Shukler, 41, said. “There were no guidelines set down by the department. Like, how much money do I need to have before my family are allowed in? “This is a beautiful country, Irish people are nice, but the rules on reunification of families is making Ireland a laughing stock, at least among the professional classes.”
His daughter, who is almost three years old, still hasn’t got used to the idea of having her father around, but at least Shukler’s case is resolved. Now he is campaigning on behalf of two Bangladeshi members of his staff who have been in Ireland for five years, and own their own houses, but have been told their wives cannot join them.
“Both men are in arranged marriages,” Shukler admits. “But the department is refusing permission to their wives on the basis that there was no relationship between the couple before they got married. Well, they can’t turn the clock back and date their wives. And anyway, isn’t this a strange argument for a Catholic country to use?” At least 4,000 foreigners approach the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) each year, and family reunification is one of their biggest complaints. “People have different rights to family reunification depending on what kind of permission to work they hold,” said Aoife Collins of the ICI.
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“People don’t know what the criteria are. Some refusals are given on the basis of “insufficient funds”, although there is little clarity on what funds are actually required.”
This is just one of the problems facing the estimated 180,000 foreign workers in Ireland, a minority that appears to be suffering the classic symptoms of alienation. The European commission pronounced last week that immigrants have been good for Ireland, contributing to the country’s excellent economic performance. But has Ireland been good for immigrants?
MIGRANTS appear to suffer disproportionately more from social problems than the general population. Foreigners in Ireland are more likely to be murdered, to be in jail, to be killed on the roads, to be injured at home or in work, and to find themselves homeless than their numbers suggest they should.