A petition signed by over 14,000 people calls for the €300 fee — which most non-EU nationals living in the State have to pay at least once per year — to be brought down to a level comparable to a passport (€75) or a driver’s licence (€55).

The Fair Fees campaign group of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) presented the petition signatures to the Department of Justice yesterday, where it was accepted by a staff member on behalf of justice minister Helen McEntee.

Migrants are calling on Mrs McEntee to look at IRP fees in Budget 2024 on the basis that they are “wildly disproportionate” and leading some migrants “to make difficult choices and go without essentials”.

Lijie Shao, a representative of the Fair Fees group, said: “I came to Ireland over ten years ago to study. I’m working as a tutor and I’m a mother. Just like many others, I’ve got bills to pay, rent, childcare, utilities – and then on top of all that we must pay this fee just for living here? It’s so unfair.”

Another campaigner Senthil Ramasamy added: “This petition we’re handing over today shows a huge amount of support for a reduction in these fees. They are placing an additional and unfair financial burden on migrants. We believe that everybody deserves to be treated equally and fairly in the country they call home.”