Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 September 2026
125. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of international protection applicants who are currently employed in the State; whether his Department collects or has access to data on the employment status of persons residing in IPAS accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67247/26]
View answerIt is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based.
Labour market access permission for international protection applicants gives eligible applicants the opportunity to work and helps them to integrate into Irish society while providing for themselves and their families outside of the State’s directly provided services and supports.
It also helps people to plan and prepare for their future in Ireland if they receive a positive decision on their application for international protection.
Under the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018 (S.I. No. 230 of 2018), people are eligible to apply for labour market access permission if:
• They are an international protection applicant; and
• They have waited at least 5 months from their “Application Received” date for their first instance recommendation; and
• They are cooperating with the international protection process – delays in receiving a First Instance recommendation within 6 months must not be attributed, or attributed in part, to the applicant
• They have not received a final decision on their application.
Following that, a person may be issued a permission for labour market access if, at 6 months, they have not yet received a first instance recommendation. This permission is valid for 12 months and may be renewed until a final decision is made on the person's international protection application.
The permission allows a person to access both employment and self-employment. They may work for most employers, however they are not permitted to be employed in the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, the Civil Service, the Public Service, or one of the other bodies listed in Schedule 6 of the European Communities (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2018.
The granting of a labour market access permission does not necessarily confirm that the applicant has found employment.
Statistics on the number of international protection applicants that have achieved employment are not available. My Department does not have information regarding the type of employment international protection applicants are engaged in.
The table below shows the number of labour market access permission applications made and granted from 2020 to 21 September 2026.
|
|
1st time applications |
Renewal applications |
1st time grants |
Renewal grants |
|
2020 |
2,763 |
3,646 |
2,785 |
3,499 |
|
2021 |
1,749 |
4,647 |
1,825 |
4,863 |
|
2022 |
6,979 |
2,188 |
5,367 |
2,144 |
|
2023 |
9,384 |
3,938 |
8,465 |
2,473 |
|
2024 |
11,317 |
5,760 |
11,766 |
7,102 |
|
2025 |
9,272 |
13,273 |
10,886 |
12,862 |
|
2026* |
4,996 |
10,449 |
5,373 |
10,684 |
* to 22 September.
Data on IPAS Accommodation residents and their employment status is not collated in the manner requested by the Deputy.
