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Governance of migrant integration in Ireland

[Last update published: January 2024]

Ireland has traditionally been a country of emigration. However, the economic boom of the 1990s led to an increase in the number of migrants arriving in the country. The first year to record positive net migration was 1995. From the early 2000s onward, the number of new arrivals continued to increase, especially following the 2004 EU enlargement, although the number of newcomers rapidly dwindled during the 2007-2009 recession period. Since 2011, immigration has been on the rise again.

Following Brexit, the number of third-country nationals (TCNs) in Ireland grew rapidly, from approximately 3% to 6% of the total population. More recently, as of the end of October 2023, the country has seen over 97 315 people arrive from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive.

Statistics

According to Eurostat's Migration and migrant population statistics, as of 1 January 2022 there were approximately 314 800 third-country nationals (TCNs) in Ireland, representing 6.2% of the population, and another 355 700 EU citizens (7%) living in Ireland at the time.

The Central Statistics Office noted in the Census 2022 Preliminary Data report that in June 2022 there were an estimated 631 785 non-Irish citizens resident in Ireland, accounting for 12% of the total population. Additionally it was reported that there are 170 597 residents with dual citizenship (representing a 63% increase compared with the 2016 Census). The Census 2022 preliminary data report also shows that the biggest non-Irish groups were Polish (15% of non-Irish citizens) and British citizens (13%), followed by Indian (7%), Romanian (7%) and Lithuanian (5%). The biggest TCN community increases since 2016 can be observed in the Indian, Romanian and Brazilian communities.

Other detailed statistical data is available in the European Migration Network (EMN) 2022 country factsheet for Ireland, with insights about the age and gender of TCNs, most common types of residence permits issued and international protection statistics.

Eurostat noted that between 2012 and 2022 there were 36 985 applications for asylum in Ireland. 13 645 of these were received in 2022 (representing a 521% increase since 2021). The median processing time for all cases processed to completion in the IPO in 2021 was 23 months.

By the end of October 2023, Ireland saw a total of 97 315 non-EU citizens who had fled the war against Ukraine and were under temporary protection – see monthly updates in the numbers of temporary protection beneficiaries on Eurostat. 5 202 young people from Ukraine enrolled in primary and secondary education for the 2022/2023 academic year. A further 12 622 arrivals have enrolled in further education and training courses as of 1 February 2023, including 10 680 who are enrolled in English language courses.

The recent OECD/EC Indicators of Immigrant Integration 2023: Settling In report provides further breakdowns of the composition of migrant populations and households in Ireland, including in terms of immigration flows by legal category, concentration in densely populated areas, duration of stay, and household composition.

Migration statistics in Ireland are otherwise provided by the Central Statistics Office - see the full data from the Census 2016 and preliminary results from the Census 2022 and Population and Migration Estimates Report 2020, as well as the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS)'s latest report (2022).

Integration strategy

In order to foster the inclusion of migrants, Ireland established its first national Migrant Integration Strategy in 2017, covering a four-year period. The strategy was extended for an additional year until the end of 2021, and as of August 2023 no new strategy has been announced. An evaluation of the first strategy has not yet been published.

The Migrant Integration Strategy 2017 targeted all migrants, including beneficiaries of international protection, and outlined actions involving all related governmental departments. Plans included the improvement of the quality of integration services through interpretation support and the training of related service providers. A specific objective was to increase the proportion of civil servants with a minority background to 1%.

Prior to the integration strategy, in 2008 Ireland published a Statement on Integration Strategy and Diversity Management which set out key principles for successful integration:

  • partnership approach between the government and non-governmental organisations
  • strong link between integration policy and wider state social inclusion measures
  • clear public policy focus that avoids the creation of parallel communities
  • commitment to effective local delivery mechanisms that align services to migrants with those for indigenous communities

The country also had an Intercultural Education Strategy for the period 2010-2015, and a Second National Intercultural Health Strategy for the period 2018-2023.

In addition, in March 2023 the National Action Plan Against Racism was launched for the period 2023-2027.

Integration programme

Since September 2015, Ireland has been implementing an integration programme for beneficiaries of international protection who arrive through the EU relocation or resettlement schemes and were accepted under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme. The programme includes language and civic education courses for cultural orientation, and does not include vocational training.

The programme also provides:

  • accommodation in Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres and dedicated housing, once refugee status is confirmed
  • free childcare wherever possible to allow adults to attend language and orientation courses
  • a card entitling beneficiaries to free medical care in public hospitals as well as an assigned doctor
  • an assigned resettlement worker and an intercultural support worker from local authorities.

In January 2022, the Regularisation of Long-Term Undocumented Migrants scheme was opened in Ireland and allowed undocumented persons to obtain Irish residence and access labour markets. The scheme also creates a legal pathway to citizenship.

Evaluation

Since 2010, comprehensive evaluations of TCN integration outcomes have been conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute. The latest Monitoring Report on Integration was published in 2022. The same research institute consistently dedicates research to the experiences and outcomes of those from a migration background. So far in 2023 they have produced reports on labour market inclusion,working conditions for migrants, and expectations and outcomes for migrants in higher education.  

In addition, the 2017-2020 Migrant Integration Strategy established the monitoring of current school enrollment policies and the assessment of their impact. In 2019, a mid-term progress report on the implementation of the strategy was published.

Finally, the international Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) points out that over the past decade, integration policies in Ireland have seen more improvements than in most other countries included in the evaluation, particularly in terms of policies on health, political participation, access to nationality and anti-discrimination. Ireland’s increasingly comprehensive approach to integration brings the country into the ‘top ten’ of those assessed by MIPEX: it scored 64 of a possible 100 points in MIPEX 2020, higher than the average score of 49.

Legislation

Law on foreigners

Ireland’s first aliens act was established in 1935, and was significantly amended by the Immigration Acts of 1999 and 2004. While the former provides for the deportation, arrest and detention of "non-nationals", the latter provides for the entitlement to Irish citizenship of persons born to certain categories of non-Irish national parents.

Asylum law

The 2015 International Protection Act amended the law on foreigners and regulated the different steps of the asylum application procedure. The act replaced the 1996 refugee act  and was intended to bring Ireland in line with its EU counterparts in relation to the single application procedure for asylum.

Asylum seekers were granted the right to work in Ireland in 2017 after campaigning brought the case to the Irish Supreme Court – see more about the rights of asylum seekers to access services and integrate.

Capacity of the accommodation system for international protection applicants remains a key issue. As of December 2021, there are 45 IPAS accommodation centres located around the country. Of these, 38 are commercial and 7 are state-owned. There are a further 24 emergency accommodation locations, such as hotels and guesthouses.

Integration law

Ireland does not have a self-standing integration law.

Citizenship law

The citizenship law was adopted in 1956 and has been amended on a number of occasions, notably by the 2004 Immigration Act. It was last amended in 2023 to reduce the amount of time a child born in Ireland must reside in the country before they can apply for citizenship.

Anti-discrimination law

Anti-discrimination in Ireland is regulated by the Equal Status Act of 2000, the Employment Equality Act of 1998 and the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act of 1989. A new bill on incitement to violence or hatred and hate offences is currently being discussed.

Public authorities

In 2020, the Irish government restructured the agencies in charge of migration and integration. The Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration at the Department of Justice and Equality was dismantled, and issues related to the integration of migrants, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection were delegated to the new Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.  Immigration Service Delivery within the Department of Justice now oversees the implementation of immigration legislation.

Local authorities support migrant integration through the implementation of local integration strategies. In 2022, the Indicators for Migrant Local Integration Report surveyed local authorities in Ireland to track their progress on local integration. The report is a compilation of key findings across eight categories: Progress on national Migrant Integration Strategy actions, Local Migrant Integration Strategies, Corporate Structure and Culture, Local Authority Staff, Multilingualism, Migrant Participation in Local Authorities, Voting and Tackling Racism.

Civil society

Ireland has a robust and strong civil society working towards the protection of migrants’ rights and the improvement of integration outcomes. Irish organisations have a stronger position than international organisations in terms of influence on integration matters.

There are 5 national Irish organisations: the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Irish Refugee Council, the Migrant Rights Centre, Akidwa, and the New Communities Partnership, as well as another 3 regional organisations: Doras, Cultur, and NASC. In addition, there are also organisations focusing on providing specialised services such as support for victims of torture (Spirasi) or access to mental health (Cairde). Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022, a number of new organisations and forums were developed in Ireland to respond to the needs of people displaced from Ukraine arriving in Ireland. Notable examples include Ukrainian Action and Helping Irish Hosts. A new network of organisations supporting people from Ukraine across the country was also developed - the Ukraine Civil Society Forum.

In recent years, many grassroots and migrant-led organisations and networks have emerged, adding their voices to advocacy efforts through increased migrant leadership. An example is the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland. Civil society groups working on different social justice issues such as the Irish Network Against Racism and the Children’s Rights Alliance also actively promote migrants' rights.

Funding

EU funds

Non-profit organisations and local authorities can apply for financing through several EU funds. In addition, national and private funds are available to service providers and other stakeholders to carry out projects aiming for better integration of the migrant population.

The information below will be updated once the 2021-2027 national programmes under EU funds become available.

Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in Ireland

European Social Fund (ESF) in Ireland

Other Funds

Other public funding in Ireland

  • The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth offers grants to national and regional projects to support integration with both EU and Irish governmental funding
  • Communities Integration Fund
  • Pobal administers and manages government and EU funding in the areas of social inclusion and equality, inclusive employment and enterprise, and early learning and care.

Private funding in Ireland

Other stakeholders and useful resources

Providing integration services

Implementing the integration programme

N/A

Campaigning

Publishing statistics

Ireland Case studies Evaluation Legislation Policy Project or programme Statistics

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