Kunle, a Nigerian native currently living in Co Clare, Ireland, dedicates his week to providing care for individuals who are elderly or suffering from physical disabilities. His tasks include helping these individuals start their daily routine, from waking up, bathing, getting dressed, preparing breakfast and even shopping. Aside from his physical assistance, he provides emotional support by engaging in conversations with them. Kunle finds contentment in knowing they’re happy, and irrespective of the long hours, he cherishes his job. He has a positive relationship with his employers and the people he helps.
However, there’s a drawback – Kunle has only managed to make a few friends in Ireland and his family is based back home in Nigeria. Earning under €30,000, he’s not entitled to bring his spouse over under the existing general permit system. Majority of what he reaps from his job is sent home, leaving him with very little. His off time is spent video chatting with his family, and watching movies solo – an activity he yearns to share with his wife. He’s been managing this way for over four years.
Kunle’s situation is common amongst caregivers in Ireland, looking after the country’s most vulnerable, but separated from their own families. Between 2022 and 2023, over 70,000 work permits were granted to migrants from non-EU nations.
Work permits fall under two categories, the critical skills permit for specialised occupations like doctors, engineers, ICT professionals, nurses, and the general permit under which healthcare assistants, home care workers, large goods vehicle drivers, chefs, agriculture and fishery workers fall. Approximately half of the 70,000 permits were general employment permits.
Individuals with a ‘critical skills’ permit have the privilege of immediately bringing their families over, but the rules are stricter for those with a general employment permit. Jobs that are deemed necessary are lobbied to be included in the scheme, but many times, the recruited individuals don’t meet the annual salary requirement of €30,000 that would permit them to bring their spouse into the country. If they wish to bring a child, the salary requirement rises to €40,000.
Despite meeting the necessary earnings threshold, workers are required to wait a year before they can request for a family member to join them. The application procedure may take an additional year. Some individuals have to wait up to seven years.
“A significant number of individuals are recruited under the impression that they can have their families with them, but the reality upon arrival is vastly different,” states Edel McGinley, head of the Migrant Rights Centre (MRCI). “We surmise that roughly half of all those holding a GEP [general employment permit] are attempting to reunify with their spouses and/or children.”
Kunle misjudged the intricacies of the system. He worked overtime and took extra shifts in 2022 and 2023 to increase his income to €40,000, significantly above the required income for reunification. However, he later realised that his application had to be based on his basic contractual salary and that overtime wasn’t taken into account. His employers later agreed to employ his wife if she obtained the right qualification. Even though she succeeded in getting a work permit, her residence application was rejected. He’s been renting a two-bedroom apartment in anticipation of his family joining him, but he’s beginning to lose hope.
His children are five and seven years old. “Whenever I talk to them, they ask ‘Dad, when can we come to your home?’… They’re unable to comprehend the distance… They wish to play and interact with you… This situation is extremely hard for me.”
Kunle enjoys his work and loves living in Ireland. He dreams of providing a future for his family here. “The elderly people in this country need our services,” he says. “In this job, credibility and the trust of your service users are paramount… I’ve established a connection with my service users and I’m contented with my job.”
Elish Kelly, a top tier investigator at ESRI, showcased me a graph delineating the influx and outflux of the populace in Ireland for past numerous years. Kelly explained that anyone entering Ireland through the permit system is doing so due to the skill gap that surfaced after our economic growth resumed in 2014. Apparently, the once robust immigration stream from the new member states of the EU – which were vital during the Celtic Tiger era – has considerably subsided, primarily because of their own thriving economies. A significant fraction of individuals who migrated during that period have returned. Consequently, Ireland is left with little choice but to rely on non-EEA individuals. She also added that while the shortage of skills fluctuates, with an ageing population we will progressively demand more overseas labour over time. “This predicament is not unique to us. We’re jostling with other nations for the potential surplus workforce around the globe.”
Before tapping into the permit system, employers must furnish evidence that, despite attempts, they have been unsuccessful in recruiting from within Ireland and Europe for those roles. A company is also capped at hiring 50% of its workforce from outside the EEA. Tadhg Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland, attests the difficulty of recruiting in a country on the verge of full employment, claiming the healthcare professionals in nursing homes are competent specialists tasking an ardous job.
Several immigrants are overqualified for the roles they’re in. Take Shiji Joseph, an Indian native and a certified nurse currently serving as a healthcare assistant in an Irish nursing home. Due to the time commitment demanded by her job, Joseph finds it challenging to prepare for an examination required to practise nursing in Ireland. Joseph, formerly employed in Saudi Arabia, moved to Ireland lured by the promise of superior education opportunities for her two kids. It was only post her move did she discover that her family was not permitted to join her.
Joseph shares her home with a fellow healthcare worker from Kerala and enjoys sports and gardening in her free time, frequently connecting with her family back home. However, the 12-hour work shifts on her workdays disallow any communication with family due to the time zone difference. “They’ll be asleep,” she says.
Her earnings recently surpassed the required minimum eligibility for family reunification, she is now allowed to initiate the application proceedings. However, this typically takes a year. Already, she has spent two years living apart from her relatives. This situation is common amongst her colleagues who hail from India, the Philippines, and Georgia, incapable of bringing their loved ones over. She expresses her enjoyment and pride in her work, however emphasises the need for the system to be altered due to the difficulties they encounter.
Her children express their disappointment over the wide gulf between them. She occasionally pauses during our telephone conversation. Over time, I realise that she is attempting to control her tears. She describes the pain in her heart as excruciating, contributing to her occasional reluctance to respond. She notes the draining mental and physical toll their work takes on them, yet they are committed to providing care wholeheartedly. She mentions how they take care of elderly patients, many with dementia, as though they were their own parents. However, they also desire care for their own families. She is filled with admiration for Irish citizens, whom she describes as kind-hearted. She expresses her certainty that they will acquire their rights soon due to the understanding from these Irish mothers and fathers. However, she implores for a swift resolution to their wait.
There have been positive developments for individuals with general employment permits. Decisions made since May 15th now permit the spouses of permit holders to work. Additionally, the new Employment Permit Act, which became effective recently, ended the five-year obligatory stay with the original permit-sponsoring employer. Bill Abom of MRCI believed this rule was the primary factor leading to worker exploitation.
The journey has not been easy. Without unrestricted access to his family, a father’s emotional support becomes limited. A previous announcement by then employment minister, Neale Richmond, stated that the salaries for roles needing general employment permits would increase to meet or exceed the Department of Justice’s family reunification thresholds. However, for healthcare assistants and home workers, this increase has been delayed due to employers’ claims that current contracts with the HSE do not enable them to afford these increases.
The MRCI argues that full-time employees, regardless of their income, should have the right to family reunification. McGinley suggests the removal of a threshold to guarantee this.
Nurudeen Oyewole, originally a journalist from Nigeria, made the switch to a career in social care in Swords, Co Dublin, after relocating to Ireland in 2019. He initially came to complete his master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the National College of Ireland, but found his calling in social care after volunteering to help the homeless and subsequently completing a postgraduate course in IT Carlow. With a significant shortage of workers in this sector, he’s noted that about half of his colleagues are non-Irish, although demand continues to outstrip supply.
Oyewole’s role involves offering support to individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, closely working with a range of professionals including medics, physiotherapists and social workers. Despite the challenge, he thoroughly enjoys his work, seeing as it greatly benefits society. His work primarily involves offering respite care to numerous families, allowing them to take much-needed breaks or focus on their needs.
However, Oyewole faces personal struggles, particularly related to his family. Since he holds a general employment permit and earns less than the amount required for family reunification, his wife and four children remain in Nigeria. This separation particularly affects him emotionally, as he isn’t physically present for key family moments, such as his second child’s ninth birthday. This absence is something his daughter expressed relentlessly.
Despite these challenges, Oyewole stays active. He volunteers and participates in MRCI’s family reunification campaign, while also spending ample time communicating with his family online. His life is a whirlwind of work and familial interaction that he wouldn’t trade for anything else.
How does he unwind? “I stroll around shopping centres, dine at eateries, or visit parks and beaches. I observe families and children, their joy and laughter, and yearn for their experiences. When such pleasures aren’t part of your life, it leads to a sense of solitude… How does one come to terms with these conditions? Should you care for the overall welfare of your citizens, consider also the overall welfare of their caretakers. Those in these roles also have a right to happiness.”