Irish officials announced that Immigration Service Delivery will now have the primary responsibility of managing initial registrations and renewals for Irish immigration residence permits.

Key Points:

• Effective April 8, first-time registration and renewals of Irish immigration residence permissions for applicants based in counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow will be carried out by ISD.
• The transfer of responsibility will move from the Garda National Immigration Bureau to ISD.
• In addition, IRP cardholders in these counties will now also be able to renew their cards or apply for Stamp 4 permissions via the ISD online system.

Background: First-time registrations will continue to be done in person at ISD. The Garda National Immigration Bureau will also continue to process first-time registrations and renewals for applicants living outside of counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.

BAL Analysis: This change is welcome for IRP cardholders and will provide increased convenience and easier processing for both initial and renewal registrations. Irish authorities have provided a step-by-step user guide on ISD services, and more information can be found here.