Same-sex partners of highly skilled foreign nationals should be allowed permanent residency and the right to work here, according to a report from Chambers Ireland.
Children under the age of 23 of migrant professionals from outside the 25 EU member states should also be granted full employment and educational rights, according to a study published today.
Chambers Ireland, which represents 13,000 businesses, also wants to see a transparent points system for immigrants and a fast-track to citizenship, culminating in a public ceremony to reflect "the gravity of the occasion".
Ireland must reposition itself as a prime destination for the world's most talented and accomplished workers by making itself more attractive and accommodating than the US and other non- EU countries, the report states.
"In a knowledge-driven society, we must attract brain power from all over the world - India, Australia, Asia and Africa," said Seán Murphy, director of policy for Chambers Ireland.
To compete, the State must offer to "bed down" migrant professionals as soon as they arrive, according to the study. Immigration policy is "piecemeal" and even has the wrong name in "Inis" (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service), it adds.
Chambers Ireland believes the word reflects an insular island attitude and should be changed.
The study compares the State's immigration process with those of the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It proposes a number of reforms:
Work visas that enable permanent residency rather than the current two-year period;
a guaranteed method for achieving citizenship through a transparent and well-defined process;
a points system for assessing eligibility for work visas based on English-language ability, education, work experience, job offers and personal funds;
replacing the term "non-national" with "foreign national" and introducing the term "new Irish" into official documents;
online tracking for visa applications;
allowing partners of migrant professionals to work in the State, whether they are of the same sex, cohabiting or married.
John Forde, chairman of Chambers Ireland's HR policy council, said: "Prior to Ireland's recent era of unprecedented growth, public policy focused on establishing an economy that would stem the crippling brain drain which drove thousands of well-educated, highly skilled Irish graduates to move overseas.
"The need to establish a first-class immigration system was, understandably, not high on the public or political agenda."
Chambers Ireland is the largest business network in the country with 60 member chambers on the island of Ireland.
