Document #1280304
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Please find attached some documents which
provide information related to the status of asylum seekers and
refugees in Ireland.
According to one of the documents, no
specific legislation with respect to refugees exists, and the
normal provisions for other resident aliens apply.
20 Recognized refugees and other aliens permitted to stay in
Ireland do not receive identity documents, but their travel
documents are stamped to show that they are residing lawfully in
the country.
21 Recognized refugees receive Convention Travel Documents, which
are valid for a two year period and are renewable. De facto
refugees who have no passport may apply for a Travel Document for
aliens.
22 The Minister of Justice may issue a deportation order to an
alien, 'if he deems it to be conductive to the public good'.
(Aliens Order 1946). The alien may ask a revision of the order from
the Minister, but there is generally no possibility of appeal.
23 In practice, recognized refugees are protected by Article 32 and
33 of the 1951 Convention, and de facto refugees by the rule of
non-refoulement. There are no known cases of expulsion or
deportation of refugees.
24 Like other resident aliens, refugees enjoy the usual civil
rights in accordance with Irish Law (Asylum in Europe: A
Handbook for Agencies Assisting Refugees, 1983, 209-210) Asylum
seekers lawfully landed in Ireland are issued with a refugee travel
document. They do not need the permission of the state authorities
to leave the state, but if they wish to return they should inform
the Department of Justice so that they can return without
difficulties (ZDWF, May 1987, 49). De facto refugees, those who do
not come within the Convention but are permitted to remain in the
state, can and generally are issued travel documents (Ibid.,
50).
According to an official at the Embassy of
Ireland in Ottawa, when an asylum seeker is permitted to stay in
Ireland, he or she is protected against deportation or expulsion (7
Dec. 1992). The official stated that he is not aware of any case in
which this policy was not observed (Ibid.).
Additional and/or corroborative information
on this subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB.
Asylum in Europe: A Handbook for
Agencies Assisting Refugees. 1983. Rotterdam: European
Consultation on Refugees and Exilees.
Embassy of Ireland, Ottawa. 7 December
1992. Telephone Interview with Official.
ZDWF Zentrale Dokumentationsstelle der
Freien Wohlfahrtspflege für Flüchtlinge e.V. [Bonn]. May
1987. "European Lawyers Workshop on Detention, Choice of Residence
and Freedom of Movement of Asylum Seekers and Refugees."
Asylum in Europe: A Handbook for
Agencies Assisting Refugees. 1983. Rotterdam: European
Consultation on Refugees and Exilees. pp. 207-213. ZDWF Zentrale
Dokumentationsstelle der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege für
Flüchtlinge e.V. [Bonn]. May 1987. "European Lawyers Workshop
on Detention, Choice of Residence and Freedom of Movement of Asylum
Seekers and Refugees." pp.45-56.