Ireland – COVID-19: Further Temporary Suspension of Visa Applications
IE – Temporary Suspension of Visa Applications
The Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has announced the decision to continue to temporarily cease accepting new visa applications for all visa-required countries until further notice. Visa applications will continue to be processed for visa-required nationals who fall into a priority or emergency category under guidance issued by the ISD, which includes healthcare workers, frontier workers, posted workers and persons travelling for imperative business reasons.
Ireland’s Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has announced its decision to further continue to temporarily cease accepting new visa applications for all visa-required countries.1 (For prior coverage, see GMS Flash Alert 2021-045, 3 February 2021.)
WHY THIS MATTERS
The extended temporary suspension of the visa application process may affect employers and their globally-mobile employees who are nationals of visa-required countries in terms of the potential need for changes to their travel dates and their proposed employment start dates in Ireland.
Temporary Suspension of Visa Applications
The ISD has announced the decision to continue to temporarily cease accepting new visa applications for all visa-required countries until further notice. The situation will be reviewed in consultation with the relevant authorities.
Who Is Affected?
This will affect employees who are nationals from visa-required countries only.2 Visa-required national employees who are due to commence employment in Ireland shortly may need to postpone their start dates in Ireland until Irish Visa Offices resume the processing of visa applications.
Exceptions
Visa applications will continue to be processed for visa-required nationals who fall into a priority or emergency category under guidance issued by the ISD, which includes health-care workers, frontier workers, posted workers and persons travelling for imperative business reasons.
KPMG NOTE
Organisations and their employees who are nationals of visa-required countries with planned travel to Ireland will need to consider these changes and may need to build additional time into their immigration/travel processes as a result.
The situation will continue to be reviewed in consultation with the relevant authorities in the coming weeks.
For advice on this changing situation, please contact your travel agent and local qualified immigration counsel or the Corporate Immigration and Employment Law Team with KPMG in Ireland (see the “Contact Us” section).
FOOTNOTES
1 Department of Justice, Notice | COVID-19 Visa Arrangements (29 January 2021, updated 5 May 2021) at: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/visas-updates.
2 See Department of Justice, “Countries that need a visa for Ireland” at: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/visa-required-countries.
* Please note that KPMG LLP (U.S.) does not provide any immigration services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Ireland.
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