Visa-free travel for refugees coming to Ireland from ‘safe’ European countries to be suspended

Ireland is to require refugees travelling to the State from “safe” European countries to hold visas, citing “abuse” of the system.

In a statement, the Government - which signed off on the move following an incorporeal Cabinet meeting on Monday - said it had been agreed to “protect the integrity” of the immigration system.

It means that people who have been granted refugee status in other countries can still apply to travel to Ireland, but will need a visa to do so. It will involve temporarily suspending the operation of a Council of Europe Agreement for 12 months.

The agreement in question abolished visa requirements for affected refugees when they travel from a country designated as safe under its terms, with governments instead issuing convention travel documents which allowed the refugees to travel to other signatory countries without a visa or prior clearance if the purpose of the journey was solely for a visit of up to three months.

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The Government is citing Article 7 of the agreement for the suspension, which will come into effect from noon on Tuesday. The visa-free travel arrangements for Ukrainian nationals will be unaffected.

The International Protection Office (IPO) has been receiving applications from some people who already have been granted refugee status by other states, the Government statement said. The IPO checks every applicant over the age of 14 against a European database that stores the fingerprints of international protection applicants or people who have crossed a border illegally.

Ireland is notified if a person who has been granted international protection has already been granted the status in another EU member state. From January 2021 to January 2022, there were 760 notifications of someone in receipt of international protection in another state. Of those, 479 came from EU member states whose beneficiaries of international protection are visa exempted. That represents seven per cent of the 6,494 applications for international protection in that period.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the decision was not “taken lightly” but that where there is evidence that there may be abuse of such systems, “the Government must act swiftly to mitigate the risks”.

“The suspension of the operation of the agreement is temporary and will be reviewed in a year’s time.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the decision will “assist in the protection of Ukrainians, and those of other nationalities who are fleeing conflict, as it will lessen the incidence of abuse of this system. This step is not unprecedented: other council of Europe member states have taken similar action previously.”

Reacting to the announcement on Monday Irish Refugee Council chief executive Nick Henderson described the move as “a regrettable decision”.

“The Council of Europe Agreement is an important way for refugees in Europe to travel to visit family members for a maximum, temporary three month period. In our experience, these are families torn apart by war, who have been scattered to different parts of Europe.

“Requiring a visa application for such a visit adds considerable uncertainty and obstacles for refugee families and is stark contrast to the principle of free movement for EU nationals. Given the low numbers who travel through this mechanism, the suspension of this Agreement risks being disproportionate and regressive,” he said.