The Employment Permits Act 2024 has now been signed into law, although a commencement order is required before the Act will come into effect. The new Act’s purpose is to consolidate and update employment permit law, which had previously been scattered across various Acts. The Act repeals the Employment Permits Act 2003 and the Employment Permits Act 2006, as well as the Employment Permit Regulations 2017. The Act will promote flexibility in the employment permits system through by allowing many criteria to be prescribed and amended through regulations.

Clients of Berkeley Solicitors have received a positive determination granting leave to appeal to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal decision FSH and Others v Minister for Justice [2024] IECA 44. The case concerns a Somali woman residing in Ireland by way of family reunification under S.18(4) of the Refugee Act 1996.

The Department of Justice and Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment recently announced that eligible spouses and partners of General Employment and Intra-Corporate Transferee Permit holders who have applied for and been granted family reunification in the State in accordance with the Department of Justice Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy will now be registered on a Stamp 1G rather than a Stamp 3 permission.