Asylum

Lawyers and legal academics have joined hundreds of immigration and health experts in calling on the Government to take further action to protect asylum seekers during the pandemic. More than 850 professionals have signed an open letter appealing to ministers to relocate international protection app

The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) has postponed all hearings currently scheduled up to and including 19 April 2020. Chairperson Hilkka Becker said the Tribunal was taking further measures to protect "the health and safety of appellants, tribunal staff and members and our stakehold

The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal from two people who came to Ireland as refugees but subsequently naturalised as Irish citizens and were subsequently denied access to the family reunification scheme. Ms Justice Marie Baker, sitting in the Court of Appeal, ruled against 'MAM' and 'KN' last May.

An asylum seeker suffered indirect discrimination when he was refused a learner driver license, the Workplace Relations Commission has ruled. An adjudicator ordered €2,500 in compensation to be paid to the man, who was legally represented by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC

The system of Direct Provision accommodation for asylum seekers is "not fit for purpose" and the "flawed" international protection process needs fundamental reform, the Oireachtas justice committee has said. The committee's report, informed by committee hearings in May and June, has been welcomed by

Stalled legislation on family reunification should be allowed to move forward in order for Ireland to meet its international obligations, a senator has said. The International Protection (Family Reunification) (Amendment) Bill 2017 has passed all stages in the Seanad and second stage in the Dá

Over 20 years of documents relating to the Direct Provision system have been published for the first time by a legal academic as part of a new project exploring how the system emerged and developed. Dr Liam Thornton, a lecturer at UCD Sutherland School of Law, was awarded UCD Seed Funding for his "E

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal from the State over the definition of "child" in the International Protection Act 2015. Mr Justice Max Barrett ruled in May 2018 that the legal guardian of a child who is not their biological or adopted child is eligible for family unification.

The implications of Brexit for asylum policy and for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers in Europe have been highlighted in a new Lords committee report. The most significant implication of UK withdrawal from the EU’s Dublin System – which determines responsibility for asylum applicat

Nearly 2,000 asylum seekers in Ireland were granted permission to work last year under a new system introduced after a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The new regime for asylum seekers to access the labour market was introduced last June when the absolute prohibition on employment was ruled unconstit

The Ombudsman, Peter Tyndall, has called for his remit to be extended to include how asylum applications are assessed by the Minister for Justice. Mr Tyndall appeared before the Oireachtas joint committee on justice and equality this morning to discuss the Direct Provision system.

German academic Dr Nina C. Leuck has been awarded funding from the European Commission to carry out research at UCD Sutherland School of Law on refugee education. Dr Leuck, who has lectured at UCL Laws in London for the past four years, will work with Professor Oonagh Breen during her two-year proje

Leaving the European Union means the loss of a safe, legal route for the reunification of separated refugee families in Europe, a House of Lords committee has told the UK government. The House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to share key fin

A man seeking asylum in the UK from a country where homosexuality is illegal was rejected by an immigration judge because he did not have a gay "demeanour", a barrister has said. English barrister Rehana Popal said the judge had "taken a stereotype, used it as a benchmark and compared my client to i

The Government has set out the national standards for asylum seeker accommodation and reception centres in Ireland following engagement with the UN and various NGOs. Minister David Stanton, who convened an advisory group including UNHCR Ireland and NGO representatives, said the new standards would i