The Citizens Information page titled "Supports for Ukrainians in Ireland" provides a comprehensive overview of services and assistance available to individuals arriving from Ukraine. Key areas of support include:
1. Education and Childcare:
2. Employment Assistance:
3. Healthcare Services:
4. Transportation:
5. Financial Services:
6. Communication Services:
Additionally, the page offers resources in Ukrainian and Russian to ensure accessibility. It also provides contact details for various support organizations and outlines how local communities are mobilizing to assist newcomers. For those looking to help, there is information on volunteering and donation opportunities.
This resource serves as a valuable guide for Ukrainian nationals seeking to integrate into Irish society and access essential services.
Website: www.citizensinformation.ie
The working paper titled "Policy and Political Responses to Ireland’s Refugee Crisis" by Professor Bryan Fanning of University College Dublin examines Ireland's recent challenges in managing a significant influx of refugees and International Protection (IP) applicants, particularly following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The paper highlights the state's reactive crisis management approach, which has led to inadequate accommodation and support services. This shortfall has contributed to anti-refugee protests and activities by far-right groups in both urban and rural areas. Professor Fanning emphasizes the necessity for proactive development of services, infrastructure, and state capacity to meet the needs of current and future arrivals. He also underscores the importance of engaging with host communities to address anxieties and prevent zero-sum perceptions that pit refugee needs against those of local populations. The paper advocates for integrating refugee policy with broader social policies to enhance social cohesion and community development.
Website: www.udc.ie
The working paper titled "Policy and Political Responses to Ireland’s Refugee Crisis" by Professor Bryan Fanning of University College Dublin examines Ireland's recent challenges in managing a significant influx of refugees and International Protection (IP) applicants, particularly following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The paper highlights the state's reactive crisis management approach, which has led to inadequate accommodation and support services. This shortfall has contributed to anti-refugee protests and activities by far-right groups in both urban and rural areas. Professor Fanning emphasizes the necessity for proactive development of services, infrastructure, and state capacity to meet the needs of current and future arrivals. He also underscores the importance of engaging with host communities to address anxieties and prevent zero-sum perceptions that pit refugee needs against those of local populations. The paper advocates for integrating refugee policy with broader social policies to enhance social cohesion and community development.
Website: www.udc.ie
This article, authored by the Irish government, emphasizes the establishment of community integration forums across all local authority areas in Ireland to support new arrivals, including Ukrainians fleeing the war. These forums involve government agencies, non-government organizations, community groups, and more to facilitate integration efforts. The article is organized under three main headings:
State Agencies Supporting Integration:
This section discusses local integration teams established in 2024, which were created to assist individuals entering the country. These teams help newcomers access various available supports to enhance their integration experience.
Support for Communities:
This part outlines a fund specifically designed for community groups that aid in the integration of newcomers. It highlights projects and initiatives that directly assist newcomers in settling into their new environment through community engagement.
Integration through Education and Employment:
This section explains how the government collaborates with schools and educational centres to integrate newcomers into Ireland's education system. It also addresses partnerships with Irish employers to provide newcomers with access to job opportunities.
Website: www.gov.ie
The findings and recommendations are based on comprehensive fieldwork, including interviews and focus groups, conducted between March 2023 and June 2024 with 165 migrants, of 31 nationalities, who are living in 11 counties (Galway, Mayo, Waterford, Kerry, Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, Clare, Tipperary, Carlow, and Limerick). This came at a crucial time, with the relocation of more than 100,000 Ukrainian citizens to Ireland after Russia launched its war in 2022.
Ukrainians make up a consistent part of the cohort, and the study outlines many of the challenges that they encountered over two years of life in Ireland; as well as documenting the efforts made by several communities to involve them in social life. The study underscores the complex adaptability of rural areas for migrants, shaped by factors like socio-economic opportunities and the degree of individual choice.
Website: https://www.universityofgalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/news-archive/
Tent was launched in 2016 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the CEO and founder of multibillion dollar food company Chobani. The organization mobilizes businesses to connect refugees to work; one of the most important milestones for a refugee to successfully integrate in their new communities. It supports and advises member companies through a variety of services including tailored guidance, access to a library of ‘how to’ resources and best practices, training for HR teams, connections to best-in-class local NGOs, and more. Tent’s members span a variety of industries – from retail and consumer goods to hospitality and financial services – and include major businesses such as Amazon, L’Oréal, ManpowerGroup, and Pfizer.
Website: https://www.tent.org/
The new Pact will strengthen border security, streamline asylum procedures and allow Member States to choose between accepting asylum seekers or providing financial and operational support. Ireland officially opted into the Pact on June 27, 2024, following a vote in both houses of the Oireachtas. While the Pact is legally in effect, Ireland, along with other EU countries, has until June 12, 2026, to fully implement the new regulations. Disinformation campaigns about the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum often frame asylum seekers as an ‘existential threat’ to Irish society. However, these campaigns are usually politically motivated and used to sow confusion and division within Irish communities.
Website: https://ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/index_en
Migration continues to grow in Ireland. 2024 was the third year with over 100,000 people coming in and Census 2022 reports that 420,465 people in the work force were non-Irish nationals. In terms of socio-economic groupings, nearly half were classified in non-manual, manual skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled occupations, compared with 39 per cent of Irish nationals. This is a variance with noting the high educational qualifications of immigrants, indicating that many are employed below their skill level. There is a need to accelerate the appropriate recognition of qualifications gained in other countries so that migrants can work in their fields of expertise. This is coupled with the need to provide both decent work and infrastructure to support increasing numbers of immigrants who will need to be housed and whose healthcare and childcare needs must be accommodated.
Website: https://www.socialjustice.ie/
The right to work is essential in ensuring the inclusion of asylum applicants and refugees in their host country, and in guaranteeing that they lead a dignified life. To meet the objectives of international refugee law and facilitate integration, EU asylum law obliges EU MS to provide asylum applicants with access to the labour market no later than nine months after lodging an asylum application. Despite this legal framework, implementation faces hurdles stemming from the varied transposition of EU secondary law, diverse practices among EU MS, and persistent structural challenges that have yet to be effectively addressed.
Numerous challenges impede the right to work for asylum applicants and undermine the principle of non-discrimination in employment. Based on the assessment of the situation across the EU, several challenges restricting employment opportunities for asylum seekers emerge, falling into distinct categories: 1) deterrent reception policies; 2) lack of or insufficient implementation of legal obligations; 3) excessive administrative requirements; 4) practical challenges, namely language barriers, lack of recognition of qualifications and lack of access to vocational training; and 5) discrimination.
Website: https://ecre.org/
The Irish Refugee Council’s ‘Mná nah Éireann Employment Integration from Day One’ program is successful, and it empowers female refugees and migrants to take ownership of their employment opportunities and empowers them through understanding of their employment rights and entitlements. Explains Irelands’ taxation system, and how to register with Irish tax office, along with guidance on financial planning, and how employment affects social welfare, medical card, social housing entitlement and income thresholds for joint family visas. Having this information in one place provides confidence and a structured support for the participants. On the other hand, it bring employers close to talented and hard working persons who they are confident to take on as the IRC is vouching for them having participated in their programme.
Website: https://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie/