In This Section
Introduction
Following the recommendations of the Government Task Force on non-EEA workers in the Irish Fishing Fleet the Atypical Working Scheme was extended to apply to crew members working in the ‘whitefish fleet’.
Since 1 July 2016, applications for crew members from within the State are no longer accepted. Applications are now only accepted from persons outside the country. Anyone working without permission in the State must leave Ireland and apply for their permission from outside of the country. This includes applying for a visa, where necessary.
Note: If you are in the State because you have already been granted this permission, you must apply to renew your permission, or to change your employer before the end of your current permission.
Note: An applicant must not book their travel to Ireland, or travel to Ireland by other means, until they are in possession of their letter of approval under the Scheme, and their visa, if required.
Conditions
The full conditions of this scheme are listed on pages 18 to 22 in the Report of the Task Force on Non-EEA Workers in the Irish Fishing Fleet.
In summary, these conditions include the following:
Change your employer
You can apply to change where you work as a crew member, ie from your current employer to another sea-fishing boat license holder.
To apply for a change:
You do not need to leave the State to apply for a change of employer, but you must apply before your current permission expires. You should allow at least 20 working days for your application to be processed. There is no guarantee your application will be approved. We will consider each case based on its own merits.
Renew your permission
You must renew your permission if you wish to continue working as a crew member with your current employer (i.e. sea-fishing boat license holder). You must apply to renew before your current permission expires. You do not need to leave the State to apply for a renewal.
To apply for a renewal, you must:
Your employment contract must:
How to apply
Decision and next steps
If your application is successful, we will send you a new Letter of Approval by post. The duration of your immigration permission will be the same as the duration of your employment contract. Your passport must be in-date for the duration of the permission granted. The maximum duration for immigration permission is 12 months.
If your permission is renewed, you must also visit a registration office to renew your registration. If your permission is not renewed, you must leave the country before your current permission expires.
Statistics
The following table indicates the number of new permissions granted, and renewal of permissions as appropriate for the Atypical Working Scheme for non-EEA crew members in the Irish fishing fleet. No renewals of permission took place in 2016, as this was the first year that the Scheme was in place. No applications to change employer were received in 2016.
| Year | New permissions | Permissions renewed | Changes in employer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 181 | N/A | 0 |
| 2017 | 29 | 107 | 3 |
| 2018 | 65 | 130 | 14 |
| 2019 | 76 | 137 | 12 |
| 2020 | 40 | 143 | 16 |
If your application is refused
If your application has not been successful, you will receive a letter from the Atypical Working Unit outlining the reasons why your application was not approved. If your circumstances change and you believe that you are now eligible for the Scheme, you may submit another application. Please note that the application fee is not refundable.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the operation or the requirements of the Atypical Working Scheme, please feel free to contact us by email at [email protected]
Please note that this office does not respond to requests for information about the status of any application. The Atypical Working Scheme Unit does not provide advice by telephone. Please note that no correspondence should be directed to individual staff members. All correspondence should be directed to the email address above.