Under Section 2(1) of the International Protection Act 2015, a refugee is defined as:

“(…) a person, (…), who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, is outside his or her country of nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of that country, or a stateless person, who, being outside of the country of former habitual residence for the same reasons as mentioned above, is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to return to it.”

If you meet this definition, you may be eligible for refugee status in Ireland.

Rights of Refugees in Ireland

Refugees in Ireland are granted legal protection and enjoy many of the same rights as Irish citizens, including:

• The right to reside in Ireland
• The right to work and access education
• The right to apply for travel documents
• The right to family reunification under specific conditions

Types of Refugees in Ireland

There are two main categories of refugees in Ireland:

Convention Refugees

A Convention Refugee is someone who meets the refugee definition under the 1951 Geneva Convention on Refugees and is granted protection by the Irish government.

Programme Refugees

A Programme Refugee is someone invited to Ireland by the government, usually as part of a humanitarian response in coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Note: You cannot apply directly to become a Programme Refugee. This status is granted through government-led initiatives.