This page aims to provide a brief introduction to recent changes for international protection applicants in Ireland. The changes mainly stem from the International Protection Act 2026.

We do not yet know how the changes will play out in practice, and policy is likely to change over time.

Page Contents

What is the International Protection Act 2026?

Who will be impacted by the new Act?

Screening - 2026 Act

The Different Procedures - 2026 Act

Return decisions

Free Legal Aid - 2026 Act

New Family Reunification rules

IPAS Proposal to charge "rent"

What is the International Protection Act 2026?

The International Protection Act 2026 is law that will significantly change Ireland’s asylum process.

It is being introduced to align Ireland with new rules coming from the European Union.

The 2026 Act will replace the current laws governing asylum in Ireland: the International Protection Act 2015.

Under the new Act, decisions on standard cases should be made within six months, three months for accelerated cases, and 12 weeks for border procedures (including appeals and return decisions).

Certain applications will be be fast-tracked, particularly those considered weak, late, or from countries with low recognition rates.

It also makes border procedures mandatory for certain applicants, whose cases may be processed without "entering the State". This means they will be required to stay in a designated location or a "screening centre" while they wait for a decision on their asylum application.

There are concerns that this new system will result in weaker protections for international protection applicants. Especially when it comes to family reunification, freedom of movement and access to legal aid (given shorter timeframes).

The Irish Refugee Council has coordinated a national civil society coalition that monitors, analyses, and seeks to influence how the Pact is implemented in Ireland. Please see the coalition's submissions

Who will be impacted by the new Act?

If you apply for asylum from June 12th onwards, your application will be processed under the new rules (International Protection Act 2026).

If you applied for asylum before this date, then your application is being processed under the old rules (the International Protection Act 2015).

In the other words, the new rules will mainly impact people who apply for asylum from June 12th onwards.

The extent to which the new rules will impact an asylum application will depend on many factors including how someone arrives to Ireland, their country of origin, vulnerability etc

Please note, there are some upcoming changes that may impact everyone in the asylum process/living in IPAS accommodation, regardless of when they applied for asylum. For example family reunification and IPAS cost contributions.

Overview of Steps

Screening

Under the 2026 Act, if you arrive to Ireland to claim asylum, you will undergo screening at a screening centre (most likely the Citywest Convention Centre).

If you have an existing immigration permission in Ireland before applying for asylum, you will not have to undergo screening, although there may be exceptions to this.

What happens during screening?

• You will have your Fingerprints and photograph taken
• You will be asked questions about how you travelled to Ireland, what documents you used. If relevant, you may be asked to address why you came to Ireland "irregularly"
• You will be asked to undergo:
  • a health assessment to identify any serious diseases or needs, and;
  • a Preliminary Vulnerability Assessment to identify if you have any special needs when it comes to your accommodation/reception and also engaging with the asylum process
• You will be provided with information on the process
• You will also make your asylum application during this time

How long does it take?

Screening should take place in less than 7 days. You will continue to reside at the screening centre until the process is complete.

What happens after screening?

An immigration officer will decide, based on the screening process, what happens next with your case.

At this point, it might be decided that a case is:

• inadmissible - this means the IPO does not want to give you access to the asylum process in Ireland. This could be, for example, because you have a protection status in another EU country or you are coming from a safe third country (e.g the UK).
• subject to The Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR) - this means that Ireland wants to send you back to another EU country for your asylum claim to be processed there.

More on inadmissability and AMMR here

Otherwise, the IPO will decide which procedure your case will be placed in. There are 3 procedures:

• Standard procedure
• Accelerated procedure
• Border procedure

The Different Procedures - 2026 Act

Which procedure you are placed in will significantly impact how your application is dealt with, especially when it comes to processing times and your freedom of movement.

The Standard Procedure

• If your case is not subject to the border or accelerated procedure, it will be placed in the standard procedure; or
• you may be referred to this procedure due to vulnerability identified during the screening process
• You should be appointed to an accommodation centre while your asylum application is being processed (you do not have to stay at screening centre)
• It should take 6 months to process your application (not including an appeal), however the time limit can be extended up to a maximum of 21 months in certain circumstances.
• You will have one month to appeal your international protection decision to TARA if necessary

Border Procedure

• You may be required to stay at the border or screening centre (e.g Citywest) while your asylum application is being processed, if you did not have permission to enter Ireland AND one of the following situations apply:
  • you applied at a port or screening centre (“external border crossing point”)
  • you were transferred back to Ireland under AMMR
  • you were apprehended in connection with an unauthorised crossing of the external border
• Your case will be determined there, quickly = within 12 weeks from start to finish (this includes appeal)
• You will be asked to fulfil Reporting requirements (max every 24 hours)
• You may also be placed in this procedure if you were transferred back to Ireland under AMMR.
• The border procedure can be mandatory if you are deemed to have intentionally misled the authorities, to be a danger to national security, destroyed a travel document (in bad faith), or if you come from a country with EU wide recognition rate lower than 20%
• You will have 10 days to appeal your international protection decision to TARA

Accelerated Procedure

• This procedure should be applied to applicants who are not subject to the border procedure but whose case is deemed inconsistent, false, improbable or misleading, after the screening process.
• It may also be applied if someone delayed making an application for asylum, is considered a national security threat, is making a 2nd application, is from a safe country of origin or from a country where the EU recognition rate is lower than 20%. In total there are 10 scenarios
• Your case should be determined quickly: it should take 3 months to process your application. Unlike the border procedure, this timeframe does not include the appeal.
• You should be appointed to an IPAS accommodation centre while you asylum application is being processed. You should not be required to stay at a screening centre or fulfil reporting requirements.
• You may be exempt from this procedure due to vulnerability or case complexity
• You will have 10 days to appeal your international protection decision to TARA

Return decisions

A return decision means the government decides that a person must leave Ireland, usually because an asylum application is rejected or withdrawn. The person might be sent back to their country of origin or to another country found to be responsible for them.

Return decisions will be issued much faster under the new Act, along with the negative first instance decision.

You can appeal a return decision to the appeal Tribunal however the appeal does not suspend the return decision. In other words, it is possible that someone subject to a return decision could be removed from Ireland, while the appeal is yet to be concluded.

If someone is removed from Ireland following a return decision, they are banned to re-enter.

If someone subject to a return decision, opts to return to their country voluntarily or leaves Ireland in compliance with the decision, the return decision and the re-entry ban may be revoked (cancelled).

Free Legal Aid - 2026 Act

Under the 2026 Act, you will be entitled to apply for free legal aid from the Legal Aid Board.

You should apply for legal aid as soon as possible after you apply for asylum.

The Legal Aid Board will also be providing a new Legal counselling service which will be based out of the Citywest Reception Centre.

The counselling service will mainly consist of explainer videos and group information clinics to help applicants understand the legal framework. It will cease once you are allocated a legal representative.

New Family Reunification rules

The Irish Government is set to introduce stricter family reunification rules for refugees and subsidiary protection holders.

When will the rules change?

The rules should change on the 11th of June 2026 at 11pm.

Please apply a few days in advance just to be safe and double check you have sent the request to the correct email address.

What are the new rules?

• Applicants will have to wait 2 years (from the date of receiving the Ministerial Letter) before making an application for family reunification
• When assessing the application, the applicant's income and claiming of social welfare/housing assistance will also be considered. Unfortunately, we do not have more details on this yet.
• In addition to spouse and minor children, eligible family members will also include:
  • adult children who are dependant on the applicant or living with a serious mental or physical disability
  • parents who are dependant on the applicant or living with a serious mental or physical disability

Who will be impacted by the new rules?

It is our understanding that family reunification applications made before 11pm on June 11th, will be assessed in line with current rules (set out below). Applications that are made after this time will be subject to the new rules.

If you are eligible to apply for family reunification before the 12th of June, we suggest you do not delay in sending the trigger email and starting the family reunification process. It is important to apply before the new rules take effect, to avoid being subject to those rules.

How to apply?

• An applicant does not have to have their IRP to trigger the process, just notice that they have received their declaration of refugee status/subsidiary protection.
• Triggering the family reunification process can be done by sending an email to FRU_IPA@justice.ie . The email must contain the applicant's own basic details and those of the family members they wish to apply for (NB: This email contains an underscore).
  • You can find a template trigger email and further info on the application process here.
• After you send the email, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire and submit relevant original documentation to the family reunification unit.

Please read more in the Government press release here

IPAS Proposal to charge "rent"

The Government has been discussing the possibility of charging rent to employed IPAS residents for a few years, however it has not been implemented to date.

The current legislation - the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 - allows for this but it was never invoked. The International Protection Act 2026 (which will commence on 12 June) contains similar provisions.

In a recent PQ, the Government stated their intention to have the scheme implemented by the end of 2026. In other words, it is possible that IPAS residents may be asked to pay a contribution towards their accommodation and reception from the end of 2026 onwards.

Also, It is important to note that the new legislation - the IPA Act 2026 - states that, when these regulations are applied, the principle of proportionality must be respected, the applicant’s individual circumstances taken into account, the applicant’s dignity and personal integrity respected, and any special reception needs must also be considered.

We understand the scheme should have a review and appeals process.

The Department of Justice has published proposed contribution rates (these reflect the legislation in place currently - the Reception Conditions Directive 2018)

Please see here and the table below for the proposed rates: