Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1059. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Justice if there is a process through which a person who is living in Ireland on a specific permission (details supplied) and who is a survivor of domestic violence can regularise their status; and if so, if he will outline this process. [16057/23]
View answerThe Government is committed to combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and to supporting all those who are victims of these terrible crimes. It is important that anyone who has been the victim of domestic violence, or who may be fear for their safety, reaches out for help regardless of their immigration status. In all such cases, victims will be treated humanely and sympathetically and their safety and well-being will be of paramount importance.
My Department has put in place Victims of Domestic Violence Immigration Guidelines which cover people who are being abused by their sponsor in the State and who need an independent permission. These guidelines rightly state that no one should have to suffer domestic violence and recognise that migrants may have additional vulnerability in this area, as the perpetrator may threaten a victim with the loss of their status if they report the abuse.
These guidelines can be viewed at www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Vicitms-of-dometic-violence-immigration-guidelines-june-2021.pdf
Anyone who is the victim of domestic abuse and whose permission to be in the State is linked to their partner, will have the issue of their status dealt with sensitively and confidentially by the immigration authorities and each case will be assessed on an individual basis.
Where an application is submitted pursuant to the Victim of Domestic Violence Guidelines, it is ordinarily dealt within one working day, however if further documentation is required this will affect the processing time, but every effort is made to keep this to a minimum.
It should also be noted that it is open to any person holding an immigration permission to make an application to the Immigration Services of the Department or their local immigration officer for a change to their permission at any stage and details are available on www.irishimmigration.ie.
In order to ensure that support service providers are aware of the Immigration arrangements available to victims, Immigration officials held an information/training session with Women’s aid. In addition the Immigration Service Delivery website has a translation tool that provides translation of the sites pages.
Where a person has an immigration permission independent of their abusive partner there is no need to contact the Immigration authorities however they should continue to engage with An Garda Síochána and other support services.
My Department is working with our NGO partners to address specific concerns that victims of domestic violence may have and to develop and disseminate information specific to the needs of the groups they represent in a way that reaches the intended audience.
A full list of the support services available to victims of domestic violence is available on www.stillhere.ie. Female victims can contact the Women’s Aid Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900. Their Telephone Interpretation Service facility covers 170 languages for callers needing support in their own language. Interpreters are available on the Language Line from 8am–8pm, 7 days a week. Male victims of domestic violence can contact the male domestic violence advice line on 1800 816 588.
