General Updates
Ireland
The re-entry visa requirements for children under the age of 16 years will remain suspended until further notice.
Children under 16 who are currently resident in Ireland and who wish to re-enter, must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian who holds an in-date residence permission. The adult accompanying the child must also provide appropriate documentation to prove they are the legal parent or guardian of the child in question.
Any child who is not currently residing in Ireland and wishes to enter the State can apply for an entry visa at their nearest VO or mission.
Switzerland
The Federal Council has decided to restrict access to the Swiss labour market for Croatian nationals in 2023. The number of workers from Croatia has risen sharply in 2022 and now exceeds the threshold figure defined in the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons.
The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) with the European Union was extended to Croatia through an additional protocol that came into force on 1 January 2017. The protocol provides for a phased opening of the Swiss labour market to Croatian nationals over a period of ten years. Since 1 January 2022, Croatian nationals have enjoyed full freedom of movement. The AFMP safeguard clause allows Switzerland to unilaterally reintroduce permit quotas for a limited period of time if immigration from Croatia exceeds a certain threshold. This threshold is reached when the number of permits issued in a given year – in this case 2022 – is more than ten per cent higher than the average of the previous three years (i.e. 2019-2021).
The demand for Croatian workers has been mainly in the manufacturing and construction industries (secondary sector) and in hospitality, trade and agency work (tertiary sector). In addition, there has been a rise in the number of Croatian workers in areas requiring higher qualifications, such as planning services, consulting and IT.
