I woke up before sunrise a few weeks ago. I had to go to the Garda station again to pay a tithe of €300 to the State. However, this time, it would be for the second time during the same academic year.
I needed a replacement for my residence permit after my wallet was either lost or stolen on a night out in Galway. The last time I saw my wallet was after making a purchase in a pub in the city. I put it back into my bag immediately after making the purchase and I did not open it again until I needed to retrieve my keys when I got home.
The next day, I went to a café to get some work done and realised – to my horror – that my wallet was gone. I immediately retraced my steps. I searched high and low and went through everything at home. I also called the Garda and later went to the station to file a report.
I also emailed the Department of Justice’s Immigration Department to report that my residence permit had been lost or stolen.
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The Garda responded and offered an appointment to come into the Galway office and but stated that I would have to pay €300 for areplacement card - that is the full fee paid by international students each year for a residency permit.
I could not believe it.
The State was going to profit off of my misfortune by charging me another €300 for a piece of plastic to replace the original immigration card!
I explained by return mail that the €300 charge was exorbitant and that I would refuse to pay it.
I subsequently received an email confirming that I would need to pay the additional tithe for this new piece of plastic.
I replied to tell them a replacement charge should be about €10 but €300 is ridiculous!
Then I received a call. A kind, reasonable man was on the other line and said that I would need to pay because that is the law and that I would be in serious trouble if I did not have an identity card on me. I did not refute this (the official identified himself by first name, but I cannot recall what his role was or where he said where he was calling from).
However, I still refused to pay and show up for my appointment. I said I had done everything in my power to find my wallet and had submitted a police report but after some back and forth, the man agreed that I would not have to pay the €300.
I was lucky. Through tenacity, sticking to my guns, and refusing to accept further exploitation, I dodged the €300 bullet.
Surely the government should not be able to exploit me further after my misfortune by charging a further €300 for a replacement piece of plastic that surely costs little more than the cost of printing it. After all, bank cards are issued for free when they are lost or stolen - shouldn’t the same apply here?
The experience made me question the €300 international students are forced to pay each year.
International students are consistently charged disproportionately high fees for tuition, face a brutal housing market/housing instability, and most of us do not have family support nearby. The risks of international travel are high, and if we cannot rely on the government to look out for us, who can we rely on?
The government needs to seriously review its immigration policies and the fairness of charging international and non-EU students €300 to stay on the island. We already pay more in fees and the three hundred euro is already too much to begin with.
Ireland needs to step up and increase its commitment to justice, equality, and fairness in all areas of life, including but not limited to immigration.
I hope it removes the policy and end the practice of charging €300 for reissuing a piece of plastic.
