INIS and GNIB working to tackle immigration office queues
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International students at five colleges in Dublin have been told they will not need to visit the Immigration Public Office in Burgh Quay, where authorities are trying to deal with large queues.
The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of the Department of Justice and Equality is working with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to tackle the unusually large queues, which reportedly lasted overnight.
A series of immediate measures have been announced, including the deployment of additional staff resources and an extension of opening hours at the office.
From tomorrow, new registrations will be dealt with on Monday and Tuesday each week, while Wednesday to Friday will be reserved for renewal of registrations (i.e. for those who have an existing GNIB card).
An online booking system for re-entry visas is also being finalised and will be introduced “as quickly as possible”.
Edel McGinley, director of Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, told the Irish Times she thought the queues were “disgraceful”.
Ms McGinley added: “We invite people here and don’t treat them properly. It’s about planning. This is the student time of year so there’s going to be extra pressure. If we don’t have the system in place we should be putting more people in to respond.”
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