On 25 June 2024, the Employment Permits Act 2024 was signed into law, bringing in new changes to Ireland’s employment permit system. Based on recommendations of the Review of economic migration policy published in 2018, the Employment Permits Act 2024 aims to consolidate the law concerning employment permits and modernise the employment permit system, according to the Department of Enterprise, … Read More

  On 02 July 2024, the Department of Justice announced that Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi and Morocco have been designated safe countries of origin for the purpose of making a claim for international protection in Ireland. Algeria and Botswana were also added to this list in January 2024. The purpose of the safe countries list is to expedite international protection … Read More

  On 26 June 2024, both houses of the Oireachtas voted to opt into the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The Dáil passed the motion by 79-72 votes. What will this mean for Ireland? As a result of this decision, Ireland will need to make significant changes to current asylum law, policy and procedures, including to the International Protection … Read More

  On 24 June 2024, the United States Department of State published the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report, which tracks and assesses countries’ anti-trafficking efforts according to a tiered ranking system. In the report, Ireland is designated as Tier 2 for the third consecutive year after being moved from the Tier 2 watch list where it was placed in 2020 … Read More

  Today the Council of the European Union has adopted a decision to extend the Temporary Protection Directive until March 2026. Temporary protection provides immediate and collective protection to a large group of displaced persons from non-EU countries who arrive in the EU and who are not in a position to return to their country of origin. The temporary protection … Read More

  On 24 June 2024, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) released the 13th report in the Arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland series. The figures on numbers of arrivals are based on Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) allocations to people protected under the Temporary Protection Directive, as of 02 June 2024. Summary of arrivals In total there have been 107,406 arrivals … Read More

  World Refugee Day, observed on 20 June each year, is designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about the situation of refugees worldwide. Given the salience of the topic of migration and asylum both in Ireland and across Europe, it is important that discussions on these subjects are situated in the wider context. Below, we provide you with … Read More

  On 12 June 2024 , the European Commission published the Common Implementation Plan for the Pact on Migration and Asylum (‘the Pact’). The Plan sets out administrative, operational and legal requirements that Member States must put in place in order to prepare for the implementation of the legislation underpinning the Pact. It is expected that these requirements will be … Read More

  In June 2024, the Department of Social Protection will introduce an income assessment for the Daily Expenses Allowance for international protection applicants. The Daily Expenses Allowance is a social welfare payment for people who have applied for international protection in Ireland and who live in, or are on a waiting list for, State provided accommodation. The rate of the … Read More

  On Friday 22 March, the High Court ruled that Ireland’s designation of the United Kingdom (UK) as a safe third country is not compliant with EU law. A safe third country is a country to which international protection applicants can be returned to for processing their application, if it is considered that the applicant has a genuine connection to … Read More

New research published by EMN Ireland (within the ESRI) found that beneficiaries of temporary protection in Ireland can face difficulties accessing employment and education. This is largely due to a lack of English language proficiency, compounded by insufficient English language support provision for adults. The report also demonstrates that accessing certain services is a challenge for beneficiaries, with particular issues … Read More

  On 23 April, the Department of Justice announced further measures to expedite international protection application processing. Commencing immediately, international protection applicants from the country which has the highest number of international protection applications in Ireland over the previous three months, will have their applications processed under an accelerated procedure.  Under this accelerated process, decisions will be made within 90 … Read More

Family reunification plays a critical role in the successful integration of migrants and refugees in a new country. Additionally, family reunification schemes in the context of international protection extend protection to family members in potentially vulnerable circumstances. Following the 20th  anniversary of the Family Reunification Directive, this latest EMN Inform compares national legislation, policies and practices on family reunification between … Read More

The EU Migration and Asylum Pact (the Pact) is a new framework aimed at managing migration and asylum in Europe. Proposed by the European Commission in September 2020, following consultation with various stakeholders, the Pact aims to address challenges and deficiencies observed in the EU’s approach to migration and asylum, which became particularly evident during increased asylum migration to Europe … Read More

On 27 March 2024, the Minister for Justice obtained cabinet approval to seek the necessary approvals from the Houses of the Oireachtas to opt in to measures in the EU Migration and Asylum Pact (‘the Pact’). The Pact  is a set of regulations and policies designed to ‘manage and normalise migration’ for the long term, providing certainty, clarity and decent … Read More

  On 27 March 2024, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) announced a new Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy for International Protection Applicants (IPAs). Since the publication of the White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish A New International Protection Support Service in 2021, increased numbers of international protection applicants as well as the requirement to accommodate … Read More