Ireland has announced new measures requiring working asylum seekers to pay for State accommodation, tightening family reunification rules and increasing the residency requirement for citizenship.
The Irish government has approved a set of new policies reducing support for asylum seekers, including a requirement for those who have jobs to pay between €15 and €238 per week toward their State-provided accommodation.
The reforms also tighten family reunification rules and extend the residency requirement for citizenship from three years to five, as ministers cite a growing number of asylum applications. Tánaiste Simon Harris defended the move as “a common sense measure,” while critics such as Labour TD Ged Nash accused Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan of “virtue signalling,” and Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy argued it is “only fair” for working asylum seekers to contribute based on their income.