I debated writing this thread as I was too angry a couple of days ago, but I think it needs to be said. If you're trying to renew or register your immigration in Limerick soon, please read. You're in for a long morning!! @DorasLuimni @immigrationIRL @nasc @irishmigrants

I am a US citizen and here on a spouse of Irish national permission which means every few years I must renew my GNIB card. This allows me to live and work in the state. I work as a legal officer at an NGO in Limerick that works with migrants so I knew I needed to go in early.

I recently had a baby and I am breastfeeding thus couldn't leave my daughter for a long period of time. I tried to ring the immigration office in Limerick several times but couldn't get through. I know that this time of year is very busy with international students.

I wanted to make sure that there weren't any times that were completely block booked for students and waste my time heading in. I was informed by Gardai on the phone that they didn't think that was happening and to just come in early, around 9 am when they open.

Great I thought, we'll get there early and be renewed in no time. ( It should only take 10 minutes to show our passports, proof address and update details). We were sorely mistaken and misinformed.

When we arrived a sign on the door said all afternoons from the 1st of September to November were given over to international students. This means all others trying to renew or register must do it between 9am and 12:30. You can already see a problem here.

Thankfully my husband got there early and got a ticket. He was number 88 out of 100. They ran out of tickets at 9:15 am. So anyone who came afterwards would not be seen. I arrived at 9:20 am with my three month old and it was standing room only.

There is no appointment facility in Limerick and people had to wait to be seen. They didn't put up a sign informing of the ticket system outside so people kept arriving only to be yelled at by Gardai because they didn't have a ticket.

Those who were there to pick up their GNIB cards were also part of the queue. Instead of having a separate line for them they were taking up tickets and told to wait. This added to the wait and confusion as all they needed to do was hand in their passport and collect the card.

We waited for almost 4 hours. There are only two desks in the office and only three officers that we could see working. They were VERY rude to those waiting and those waiting in the room could hear everything that was being discussed, a large breach in confidentiality.

At 12:40 there were only a handful of us left in the office waiting. A Garda officer then came out and told us that only two more people would be seen that day. They were on ticket number 60 and we were 88. I was so upset, I'd waited for hours with a three month old!

My husband tried to reason with the officer but he said we could just come back in the morning. We asked if our ticket from today would be recognised. He said no that wouldn't be fair?!?!? I was literally standing in front of him breastfeeding my baby begging to be seen.

Other people kindly tried to give us their tickets and were eventually seen as the last people that day as I stood in front of the desk and begged we be seen. The Garda who renewed my card was nice to me but I had listened to her the giving out to others for the past four hours.

This is unacceptable. People can't take hours out of their days to wait for the slightest possibility that they *might be seen. There is no information available online about the procedures in Limerick and each year the registration of international students takes up places.

There needs to be additional resources put into the process and the office to facilitate the growing numbers of migrants living in Limerick. I hope no other young family or vulnerable person has as terrible experience as we did.

There also needs to be sensitivity and diversity training for the front line staff in the office. Never in my life have I heard people being spoken to in that manner.