An Algerian man who has been living in Ireland for 37 years has been granted Irish residency. Aged 52, he has been living on the streets and in temporary housing since 1976.
Ali Haddad originally came to Dublin in 1976 and chose to remain here after a military coup in his native Algeria.
His Algerian passport expired a number of years ago and he could not access state services and supports, unemployment benefits and could not travel to London to replace his out-of-date passport.
After the Immigrant Council of Ireland highlighted the case, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter used his powers of discretion to grant residency.
Hikka Becker, Immigrant Council of Ireland Senior Solicitor said:
“We are delighted for Ali that he now has an opportunity to seek work, secure a permanent residence and have stability in a country which has been his home for his adult life. Our concern now is for the unknown number of other undocumented people in Ireland, with estimates that almost 4 million people are in a similar position across the EU”.
Click here to read the full report of the case in the Journal.
Click here to read the full report of the case in the Independent.