For long term immigrants not to have to learn the language of their host country is potentially disastrous for the immigrants and for the country.

This policy would not pass equality screening, due to the sexism in some immigrant cultures.

"Notes on Northern Ireland politics and Culture".

How does a blog about the domestic policy of the government of the Republic of Ireland fit Sluggers' remit?

Pakman,
as Ireland and the UK operate a common travel area, immigration laws in both jurisdictions.
are of extreme relevance.

For example Pakman,
An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland produced A Cross Border Organised Crime Assessment in 2004. Here is what they have to say about immigration. They both seem to believe immigration to each other's jurisdicitons is relevant and hence produced a joint report.

"there are clear indicators that individuals are involved in the facilitation of illegal immigrants by the provision of forged or fraudulent documentation; these individuals will also help to find work for immigrants - often unskilled, low-paid work with little regard to health and safety conditions - and will help with their accommodation needs - again, often sub-standard, squalid living conditions for which an inflated rent may be charged.

While those involved in this area of criminality clearly rely on a wide network of contacts outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, there is limited evidence of organised
criminality within either the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Further investigation and analysis is required to
establish the true scale of the problem.

In the Republic of Ireland responsibility lies with An Garda Síochána National Immigration Bureau whereas in Northern Ireland the United Kingdom Immigration Service is the lead
enforcement Agency.

The accession into the EU on 01 May 2004 of ten mostly eastern European states1 significantly increases the number of foreign nationals who can legally reside and / or work in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

This may also make it more difficult to detect immigration offenders and provide increased criminal opportunities for the use of
falsified documentation.

However, it will also reduce criminal opportunities for individuals to exploit workers from those countries as they no longer need to conceal their presence or seek work illegally.

Evidence has suggested that some immigrants have exploited student or tourist visas to facilitate entry into the country.

Once here some may seek employment, notably in the
Republic of Ireland in the escort agency / prostitution / lap dancing business. However there is no evidence to suggest any form of coercion or duress; all claim to be involved of
their own volition as they can earn a reasonable wage.

The absence of any border controls makes free movement throughout Ireland very simple, although Immigration Officials do carry out checks on cross border rail services.

For security reasons, most airlines ask for photographic identification, usually a passport, national identity card or driving licence, in order to travel, but such restrictions are
rare at ferry ports thereby enabling comparatively
unhindered travel between Northern Ireland / the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

Good response George.

Let me give you a real example.

I was working in East Africa and I had a local girlfriend. She got a visa from the British High Commission and then I went to get her a visa for RoI. No way they said; notwithstanding the facts that she had a UK visa.

So I changed my flight from LHR - DUB to LHR - Belfast, rented a car and drove unimpeded across the border.

Yep. Stupid isn`t it.
Looks like we we all be speaking Russian very shortly. LOL
Thats a JOKE before some jumps on me but seriously the amout of people from Eastern Europe upon their ascension to EU member states coming to the UK and Ireland must be phenominal as every other customer I serve speaks only pigeon English.

or is that pidgin?

Alan2,
it's just looked upon as the next phase of Hiberno-English in Ireland, I love it.

Full credit to Ireland, the UK and Sweden (I think it's Sweden)who are the only old EU countries to have opened their borders to the new members from the start, the rest have put a seven year moratorium in place.

George

your points about relevance relate to illgality, the blog is about legal and controlled entry to the Republic of Ireland. In relation to illegals it could be argued that the porus eastern EU borders and the vast unprotested Italian coastline are more relevant to the problem in NI than a new Irish "Green Card".

Pakman, some of us in northern ireland work in the republic and thus work permits and so on are very relevant to us.

Not everyone here has the deliberately cultivated ignorance of and apathy towards the republic that you seem to have.

Fraggle - do people from NI need a permit to work in the ROI ?

no, of course they do not. however, large numbers of highly qualified immigrants can have huge effects, positive and negative, on the labour market which may effect people from northern ireland.

Fraggle

how do you justify the allegation that I have a deliberately cultivated ignorance of the Irish Republic?

How do you justify the charge that I have an apathy (surely you mean antipathy ?) to the Irish Republic?

Grow up.

Now I see what you mean fraggle, thanks.

>Looks like we we all be speaking Russian very shortly. LOL
>Thats a JOKE...
> as every other customer I serve speaks only pigeon English

Immigration must be a good thing for your, eh? More immigrants, more customers?

That's the thing about the inflow of the skilled people ´- more workforce, more work being done, more money earned, higher average standards of living in the country. Agree?

Pakman,
Britain is to introduce a system whereby unskilled workers will have pretty well no chance of getting into the UK, which I believe will have a serious effect on the NI economy, especially in the areas of food processing and agriculture, which are heavily dependent on cheap foreign labour.

If the Irish green card system allows for unskilled labourers via a lottery system or whatever we could be looking at a situation where most of the food processing companies have to move their operations south of the border where production costs would be much lower.

Also, don't forget that there are 50,000 people from Northern Ireland working and living in the Irish Republic and 300,000 Irish citizens living in Northern Ireland.

For that reason too, what the Irish government does is relevant to Northern Ireland and to substantial number of its citizens.