The Minister for Justice Simon Harris has obtained approval from Government to close the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) to further applications.

Announcing the closure of the Programme, Minister Harris stated, “the Immigrant Investor Programme was established over a decade ago during a time of unprecedented economic difficulty to stimulate investment in Ireland that would be of strategic and public benefit to the State. Since its inception, the Programme has brought significant investment to Ireland and has been operated by my department to the highest professional standards.”

“However, it is important that we keep all programmes under review including any implications for wider public policy, such as the continuing appropriateness and suitability of this programme for cultural, social and economic use. We have also taken on board a number of reports and findings from international bodies such as the EU Commission, Council of Europe and OECD on similar investment programmes.”

“Taking all of this into account, and informed by both internal and external reviews, I have recommended that it is now timely to close this Programme to new applications, and have received government agreement to close it for further applications.”

Since its inception, the Programme has approved investment of almost €1.252 billion that has benefitted many enterprises both economic and social, including community and sporting organisations.

The closure of the Programme will not affect existing projects or individuals already approved under the programme. The Department of Justice will continue to monitor existing approved projects in relation to the delivery and for compliance with the terms of the Programme. Current applications on hand at the time of closure will continue to be considered.

The government also operates the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP), which was established in 2012, as a way for entrepreneurs with an innovative idea to apply for a residence permission in Ireland, and this will continue.