Ireland plans to tighten residence rules for Ukrainian refugees

Ireland plans to reduce the period of stay of Ukrainians in public housing from 90 to 30 days and introduce payment for accommodation for working Ukrainians. The decision was agreed by a subcommittee of the Cabinet of Ministers, reports national Irish broadcaster RTE.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan and Minister of State Colm Brophy will do further work on how the new proposal will be implemented.

The draft law is expected to be presented to the leaders of the government parties in the coming weeks, after which it will be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers for final approval.

In general, according to RTE, the implementation of such a system can take from nine to 12 months.

Earlier, Jim O'Callaghan said that he believes it would be appropriate to introduce rent for those who live in the centers of the Interagency Asylum Service (IPAS) and work at the same time. Options for contributions from 15 to 238 euros per week are being considered, depending on the level of earnings.

"Ultimately, it will be the government's decision, but we recommend these proposals and consider them appropriate," the minister said .

Since February 2022, more than 120,000 Ukrainians who fled the full-scale war have been granted temporary protection in Ireland. About 83,000 of them still reside in the country.

Ukrainians could stay in public housing for 90 days, but the new rules will reduce this period by three times. The head of the ministry acknowledged a significant increase in the number of people arriving in the country. He noted that if the rate of people arriving in the country remains so high, the authorities will have to look for additional options for their accommodation.

• In September, the Netherlands began to sound the alarm over the lack of accommodation for Ukrainian refugees. Due to overcrowded accommodation centers, refugees are often rejected.
• On November 1, the Swiss Federal Council limited the temporary status of protection for Ukrainians from seven western regions. For all others, the status has been extended until March 2027.