Campaign group Fair Fees has written to Justice Minister Helen McEntee urging her to cut immigration fees on Irish Residency Cards (IRPs) as part of the upcoming budget, reports Breaking News.
The IRP card fee is €300. Most non-EU residents in Ireland are required to pay this fee every year.
Campaign group Fair Fees is calling on Ms McEntee to lower the fee to bring it in line with similar fees charged for other state registrations such as passports (€75) and driving licenses (€55).
The Department of Justice says IRP card fee revenue reflects the effort and cost involved in processing registrations.
Neil Bruton, Campaigns Coordinator said, “The income from IRP card fees is not ringfenced for immigration, in fact it goes into general DOJ spending [4]. In 2021, when €35 million was generated from IRP cards, the DOJ ended up with a €21.7 million surplus which went back into the general exchequer [5]. How can the Department continue to claim they need this money to cover their costs? We would welcome some transparency on this,” reports Breaking News.
Lijie Shao, spokesperson for the Fair Fees Campaign Group said, “We have no choice but to pay this fee. We are living and working here for many years, why are we being discriminated in this way and forced to pay extra during a cost-of-living crisis? We are calling on Minister McEntee and the Government to reduce this extortionate fee in the upcoming budget,” reports Breaking News.
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