Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 May 2014
690. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will confirm the position of her Department with respect to Syrian nationals seeking refugee status here; if priority for refuge will be given to Syrian refugees with family here; if Syrian refugees with family members who are nationalised here have an entitlement to refuge; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22956/14]
View answerSections 8 and 9 of the Refugee Act, 1996 (as amended) provide that a person who arrives at the frontiers of the State seeking asylum or otherwise indicating an unwillingness to leave the State for fear of persecution shall be given leave to enter the State and may apply to the Minister for a declaration as a refugee and seek the protection of the State. Any person subsequently granted refugee status is entitled to apply for family reunification on behalf of family members under Section 18 of the Refugee Act 1996 (as amended). Similar provisions apply in the case of persons granted subsidiary protection status under European Union (Subsidiary Protection) Regulations 2013.
Under the national asylum procedure, the vast majority of Syrians who have applied for asylum in Ireland since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011 and whose applications have since been determined, have been declared to be refugees. A total of 71 such applications have been received in the State in the 3 year period March 2011 to end March 2014.
The Deputy might be aware that in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria, the Government has already committed to accept 90 persons displaced by the Syrian conflict under the UNHCR resettlement programme. This will include four serious medical cases whose medical needs cannot be met except through resettlement.
My predecessor also announced in March an immigration based humanitarian admission programme for vulnerable persons affected by this conflict in the region. The Syrian Humanitarian Admission Programme (SHAP), which was introduced following an approach by members of the Syrian community in Ireland, focuses on offering temporary Irish residence to vulnerable persons present in Syria, or who have fled from Syria to surrounding countries since the outbreak of the conflict in March 2011, and who have close family members residing in the State.
The Programme allows naturalised Irish citizens of Syrian birth and Syrian nationals already lawfully resident in the State to make an application for vulnerable close family members to join them in Ireland on a temporary basis for up to two years. These are persons who are considered by their sponsoring family member present in Ireland to be most at risk. A sponsor may be a single person or the head of a family unit. Persons admitted under the Programme will be entitled to work, establish a business, or invest in the State.
A key condition of the Programme is that these persons should not become a burden on the State. If these family members cannot find employment the onus will be on the sponsors to support them during their time in Ireland.
The final date for submission of applications under the Programme was 30 April 2014. A total of 94 applications were received and they are currently being processed.
This Programme is an additional initiative in response to the crisis in Syria and is without prejudice to other avenues whereby Syrian nationals might lawfully enter the State, such as family reunification for the family members of refugees and persons with subsidiary protection, and UNHCR's resettlement programme.
