DUBLIN: Ireland’s immigration system has become increasingly business friendly as the number of visas issued for business purposes rose 15pc in four years, a new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has claimed.
The number of business-related visas granted by the State has increased to 15,400 last year, according to the study.
India accounted for the majority, followed by China and Russia.
The think-tank said the number of non-European business people looking to come to Ireland is likely to be considerably higher, as nationals of a number of countries, such as the United States, don’t need visas to travel here.
Report author Egle Gusciute said despite attempts by the Government to boost business migration, high costs when they get here may act as a deterrent.
“While older schemes focused on preventing misuse of business migration channels, the Department of Justice and Equality noted that this has not been a major problem in Ireland,” Ms Gusciute said.
