The Department of Justice insisted yesterday it had not imposed new restrictions on the granting of visas to families of foreign nationals working in the State.
The denial came after a Nigerian doctor working in a Dublin hospital was refused a visa for his wife.
Dr David Olanrewaju Ogunmodede has been working at the accident and emergency department of St Vincent's Hospital since December. But his application for a visa for his wife and three children to join him has been refused.
A Department spokesman said nationality was not a factor in deciding whether to grant visas to the families of non-nationals working in the State.
He said most non-EU nationals required visas and each application by a person with a working visa to have their spouse admitted was judged on its merits.
He said a non-national would usually have to be in the State for a year, and with prospects of staying for a further year, before a visa application for a spouse would be granted, but this guideline was now under review.
The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said it was making representations to the Department of Justice on behalf of Dr Ogunmodede. He is extremely concerned about the visa refusal because, since his resignation from his post in South Africa to come and work in Ireland, his family have lost their legal status in South Africa. Mr Fintan Hourihan, the IMO's industrial relations director, said he would be very concerned if the Department was tightening up on visas for foreign doctors' families.
"They are needed here. They are very fine doctors and make a very significant contribution to our health service. There is a growing shortage of non-EU doctors here because of registration and the fact that they are expected to do extra exams."
The shortage meant that doctors who are already overworked have to work even longer hours to make up the shortfall, he said. Further obstacles should not be put in the way of non-nationals by making family visas difficult to obtain, Mr Hourihan said.