The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has called on the Government to regularise undocumented migrants in the State as it launched new research that provides a snapshot of undocumented migrant trends for the first time.
The survey has found that most undocumented migrants have been in the State for significant periods. More than 80 per cent have been living here for more than five years. Of this group, 40.5 per cent have been here for eight years, and 21.5 per cent for more than a decade.
“Many arrived long before the recession, during Ireland’s boom years when the demand for labour was at its greatest,” the report says. It also says the “vast majority” of undocumented migrants enter the State with the appropriate documentation and subsequently fall into “irregularity”.
“The continuous demand for their labour has been a significant factor in cementing their attachment to Irish society,” it says. “In our survey, 86.5 per cent of undocumented migrants indicated they had entered the country legally and then fallen into irregularity.”
The survey says a “huge majority” of 87 per cent are in employment. More than 65 per cent of these have been in their current job for more than two years. Of these, 27.5 per cent have been in the same job for more than five years.
In terms of working hours, 70 per cent indicated they are working more than 30 hours a week, with more than half earning over €300 a week. Of those not in paid employment, a group that includes stay-at-home parents, most have been out of work for less than six months.
The top five sectors of employment are restaurant and catering at 37.5 per cent, domestic work at 32.5 per cent and cleaning and maintenance at 10.5 per cent. Other sectors include retail, hotel, medical, healthcare and agriculture. The top five nationalities indicated were Filipino (33 per cent), Chinese (25 per cent), Mauritian (11.5 per cent), Brazilian (6.5 per cent) and Pakistani (6 per cent).
The findings constitute an analysis of 540 surveys of undocumented migrants, gathered by undocumented migrants in their own communities between last July and September.
The report calls for regularisation centred on an agreed set of transparent criteria, including a provision for the length of time resident in the State, a requirement to enter into a probationary period, the exclusion of anyone with a serious criminal conviction and an administration fee to offset the cost of implementation.
