Indian asylum seeker renews call for residence permit

Cork-based Indian asylum seeker Nadim Hussain has renewed his call on the Department of Justice to issue him with an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) one month after receiving assurances that he would not be deported.

The registration certificate, previously known as the GNIB card, certifies that a person’s permission to stay in Ireland has been registered and the type of permission the person has.

Mr Hussain received assurances from the Department of Justice over one month ago that he would not be deported to India during a hunger strike campaign that lasted a total of nine days.

He was admitted to hospital when he became extremely weak during the hunger strike campaign which came to an end when he received the assurances from his legal team after discussions with the Justice Department.

After being discharged from Cork University Hospital (CUH) in late October, he returned to his accommodation on Kinsale Road direct provision centre, where he has lived since coming to Ireland in 2019.

Mr Hussain, who came to Ireland in 2019 after both of his parents were killed in anti-Muslim violence in India, says that his life would be in danger if he was to return.

Speaking to The Echo, he said that he has been asked by the Department to provide evidence of his role as security staff at various hospitals, information and documents which he supplied.

Speaking to The Echo, he called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin to “honour his promise” to help him.

Speaking in the Dáil back in October, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, said that he was aware of Mr Hussain’s case and what has happened to his parents and acknowledged that he has “gone through a very traumatic time”.

He said that while he, at the time, had not read the entirety of the background of Mr Hussain’s case, that he did take the fact that he was on hunger strike very seriously.

"I do think we should make every effort we can to try and help that person in the situation that they find themselves in,” he told the Dáil.

Mr Hussain said that he has provided all documentation that he has been asked to supply and that there has been no update on his situation since.

Speaking on The Echo Chamber Podcast on Tuesday, he said: 

My position is not good and the one thing is that now I have given everything and I am waiting.

He said that Mr Martin told the parliament “that he is going to help me, so this is the time to help me, please help”.