Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 January 2022
314. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Justice if she has considered expanding the terms of the Afghan Family Reunification Programme announced in 2021 to include family members of resettled Afghan refugees who are in danger in Afghanistan at present; if she has considered an application (details supplied) for family reunification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4108/22]
View answerIn response to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, I opened the special Afghan Admission Programme for applications on 16 December 2021. Applications will be accepted until 24 February 2022, with up to 500 places available for eligible Afghan family members.
The Programme enables current or former Afghan nationals living legally in Ireland to apply to have certain close family members come to live with them in Ireland. There is no prohibition on a resettled refugee making an application under the Programme, as long as they can meet the requirement of providing accommodation and supports for their family member(s).
As the Deputy will appreciate, no immigration programme can be unlimited in scope, therefore, in line with policy considerations, certain conditions apply. The Programme has been developed to allow as many families as possible the opportunity to have some family members join them here in Ireland. Allowing applicants to nominate larger numbers of family members for admission, would mean that some families would miss out.
At this time, the Government decision is to allow up to 500 places under the Programme. There are no plans for approvals beyond this at this stage. However, developments at EU level may play a role at a later stage.
Furthermore, it is important to note that all current immigration avenues remain open for new applications, including visa and family reunification applications. The Afghan Admission Programme is additional to the current suite of immigration schemes and should not be viewed in isolation. Many people are already availing of these other avenues, and will continue to do so.
While the situation in Afghanistan is dire for everyone, we are all acutely aware that some groups face an even greater risk to their freedoms and safety, most especially women, girls and minorities. This has been well documented by multilateral organisations like the UN and civil society organisations that have been working in Afghanistan for many years.
For this reason, my Department is prioritising these and other groups for admission. Within families, there will be some members that fall into these higher risk categories and others that do not but we will not be breaking up families when considering applications.
My Department has received family reunification applications from the person referred to by the Deputy. These applications have been refused as they do not meet the criteria under Section 56 of the International Protection Act 2015.
