Non-EU nationals, who come to Ireland with skilled work visas, are facing “significant professional, financial and psychological” challenges because of delays and barriers in securing permission to travel within Europe.

Immigrants with critical skills work permits, particularly those working in academia and technology, are failing to attend conferences and training events because of the “unique nature of Irish visas” and a backlog in obtaining permission to travel within Europe’s Schengen zone, a Chinese academic has warned.

The growing shortage of visa slots from European embassies websites is forcing applicants to turn to unregulated, private operators who illicitly access appointments, and resell them between €40-€100, says Dr Fengnan Gao, assistant professor at UCD’s school of mathematics and statistics.

“Before the pandemic the Schengen visa application still worked, if you wanted to go to a conference it was easier,” said Mr Gao, who has been running a campaign to raise awareness of the barriers he and his colleagues face. “But now, it’s a closed book. There are more people applying but there’s also malicious people trying to make money out of this.”

Dr Gao says an invitation he received earlier this year to speak at a university in the Netherlands was postponed and eventually cancelled because he could not secure a visa appointment to travel outside Ireland. “I was checking for an appointment every three days for three months. Eventually I requested to join a waiting list, but there was a waiting list for that waiting list.

“I did my masters and PhD in the Netherlands and all my academic contacts are on the Continent but I can’t get to any of them.”

Dr Gao hoped the situation would improve following an RTÉ Prime Time investigation into illicit visa brokers in March, but says the backlog is worse than ever.

As Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area, immigrants with Irish critical skills permits must apply for a separate visa to visit other European countries. In contrast, non-EU workers, who hold the Schengen work visa, are generally free to travel across Europe without additional visa restrictions.

All EU member states, excluding Ireland and Cyprus, are part of the Schengen area. Iceland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Norway are also members.

“The professional impact is huge,” says Dr Fanghze Qiu, associate professor at UCD’s school of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore. “It means a loss of opportunities, especially in academia. People who have passport privileges can just buy a ticket and go but for others, it means months of planning.”

Testimonies gathered by the men among UCD’s international staff and student community, reveal frustration and exasperation that they are missing out on opportunities freely available to those based in the Schengen zone.

Last month, the two academics wrote to Irish members of the European Parliament (MEPs) warning that non-EU skilled workers are “effectively stranded” in Ireland. “This situation represents a serious violation of the right to free movement and significantly tarnishes Ireland’s reputation as a welcoming destination for global talent,” Dr Gao and Dr Qiu wrote. “This not only imposes financial and psychological burdens but also hinders their professional and personal mobility.”

This problem also “significantly impacts the non-EU family members of EU citizens”, they said.

Responding to the men’s appeal, an adviser to MEP Maria Walsh said, in an email seen by The Irish Times, they had investigated the issue but found “an extreme lack of flexibility” for visa holders in non-Schengen EU countries.

A quick search through Facebook reveals dozens of non-EU nationals seeking advice in securing a visa appointment after weeks of trying to find slots. Posts seeking urgent help are often followed by comments suggesting the individual contact private operators and a pay a fee to guarantee a slot.

It mirrors a similar practice in 2018 and 2019, which forced thousands of immigrants to pay fees to unscrupulous internet opportunists to renew their visa to live and work in Ireland.

In the long term, the EU’s Schengen body should recognise non-EU skilled workers’ residency permits so they can make trips to other member states, says Dr Gao and Dr Qiu. More urgently, steps must be taken to remove the “middlemen” blocking up the visa appointment system across European embassy websites, they said.

Asked to comment on the situation, the Department of Enterprise, which process employment permits for non-EU workers, said issues with Schengen visa applications were a matter for the Department of Foreign (DFA).

A DFA spokesman said the processing of EU visas was “solely a matter for the national authorities of the country” where an individual is seeking to travel. DFA has “no remit over the operations of other countries’ visas services,” he said.