According to a survey net immigrant inflow to Ireland estimated to have added between 2.3 per cent and 3 per cent to GNP and this is due to lowering of high-skilled wages relative to where they otherwise would have been and to facilitate the increased employment of high-skilled labor. In the past 15 years, this north European country becoming one of the world’s fastest-growing immigrant nations, and those signs are also everywhere to be seen.

Barrett and Bergin, who work for the Economic and Social Research Institute estimate that non-Irish immigrants, most of whom come from the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, China and Eastern Europe make up more than 9 per cent of the population and number around 363,000. Nine percent of the labor force in Ireland is foreign born. Reason for Ireland becoming a favorite destination for immigrant workers is due to generous Irish refugee policy and its immigration laws provide easy entry for health care workers and other critical skill categories as compare to other European nations.

Ireland has liberal visa policy of migrant worker and individuals from European Economic Area (EEA) countries do not need a work permit to take up employment within Ireland, but non-EEA nationals will require authorization from the government.

The granting of work permit is different form UK and implement a system based on job offers in skills shortage areas rather than quotas or points based systems, such as the UK. With a national unemployment rate of less than 3 percent and growing investment in almost all the sectors, Iris economy is could accommodate thousand of more immigrants in near future.

via: observer.guardian.co.uk