Background to the Irish Refugee Protection Programme

The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision of September 2015 (S.I. 80/20/10/0122H) as a key part of Ireland’s response to the global humanitarian migration crisis. The Decision of 2015 committed Ireland to accept 4,000 persons under various strands, including the EU Relocation Mechanism and UNHCR-led Resettlement Programme.

In a further Government Decision of December 2019 (SI 80/20/10/0122H) Ireland pledged to welcome up to 2,900 refugees between 2020 and 2023 through Resettlement. Government approval for the next phase of the Programme will be sought before the end of 2023.

The IRPP is a distinct programme of tailored supports for persons granted refugee status upon acceptance onto the programme. As such it is completely separate from the services provided to persons arriving spontaneously in order to seek international protection and avail of Direct Provision accommodation (“asylum seekers”), and those Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) that have arrived since the onset of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The IRPP offers a safe haven to persons recognised by UNHCR as refugees under the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.