It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based.
Labour Market Access Permission was made available to eligible International Protection applicants in July 2018. 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 recommendation must not be attributable to the applicant.
Following that, a person will 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.
It should be noted that labour market access for international protection applicants is not an alternative to a work permit; it is intended to allow certain applicants to work while they await a decision on their asylum application. This is to ensure that those found in need of protection can begin rebuilding their lives here. It is not intended as an alternative route to the established pathways for legal migration for the purposes of employment.
Before a deportation order is made, a full assessment of each person’s individual circumstances is carried out to establish if they should be granted permission to remain in the State. If a person has made submissions in respect of their education or previous or current occupations, these submissions will be given due consideration as appropriate.
This information, if received, will be detailed on the person’s individual records but is not recorded in a manner which allows for the collation of statistic based on a person’s occupation or occupational prospects.
