SIPTU has today condemned the Government’s newly published Family Reunification policy, calling it a direct attack on workers’ rights and the dignity of essential workers.
The policy published on Wednesday, 26th November by the Department of Justice, introduces new restrictions including “unrealistic” application fees, stringent accommodation checks, and an income assessment based on a single sponsor’s earnings.
SIPTU representatives have warned that Government policy will now make it nearly impossible for most migrant workers to reunite with their families in Ireland.
SIPTU Deputy General Secretary Ethel Buckley said: “These changes are cruel, unnecessary, and completely at odds with the values of most Irish people. Migrant workers are essential to our economy, that’s a fact. Yet this policy tells them that while their labour is welcome, their families are not.”
The new income thresholds, €30,000 for a spouse and €50,200 for one child from 2026, will disproportionately impact low-paid workers in essential sectors like care, hospitality, and food production, where the State acknowledges labour shortages.
Buckley added: “It is discriminatory, it is punitive, it is unrealistic and it will ultimately cause real suffering to people already suffering at the sharp end of the housing and cost of living crisis. No worker should be forced to live apart from their children for years on end simply because they work in a sector the State refuses to value.”
SIPTU echoed Migrant Rights Centre Ireland’s call for the Minister for Justice to urgently reconsider the policy, warning it will harm worker wellbeing and undermine essential frontline services.
“SIPTU will support our members and all affected workers in pushing for a fair, humane, and rights-based Family Reunification system. A decent society does not force workers to choose between earning a living and living with their families,” Buckley concluded.