Algeria, Botswana to be added to 'safe country' list

Algeria and Botswana are to be deemed ‘safe countries’ as part of a government crackdown on record levels of asylum seekers applying for protection in Ireland.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee will bring a memo to Cabinet outlining her plan to drive down the rate of asylum applicants who have been seeking accommodation from the State.

A key part of the strategy is to expand the number of countries deemed as safe by the Government.

The addition of Algeria, specifically, will be seen as significant as it accounts for over 3,100 of those seeking international protection in Ireland. According to the most recent figures, Botswana accounts for 746.

She has also promised a 90-day decision on their asylum seeking application as officials work to speed up the process.

Government sources have indicated that applications from safe countries are now down to 65 days on average.

In November of 2022, the minister put fast processing in place for applicants from the eight countries which were already considered safe by Ireland.

Within a year of accelerated processing being introduced last year, applications for asylum from safe countries had decreased by 38%.

Meanwhile, rates of refusals for those who still came, were high.

First instance refusals were running at 81%, with applicants receiving decisions within 65 days of arriving here.

While people from safe countries are still entitled to apply for international protection and have their application considered thoroughly, they will have to submit serious grounds that the country is not safe in terms of their personal circumstances.

On this point, Minister McEntee said:

“My priority is that those who are in need of international protection receive it quickly, and those who are not entitled to it are removed from the system quickly too. This is the hallmark of a robust and rules based immigration system."

The Minister also noted new expedited processes for people who apply for international protection in Ireland having already been granted protection status in another EU state:

“In July 2022, I introduced a visa requirement for those travelling here on convention travel documents to reduce the number of people claiming international protection when they already have it elsewhere.

"To reinforce this, I have also informed Government today of the introduction of an expedited procedure for inadmissible applications by people who already have been granted protection in the EU.”

The Minister also updated the Government in relation to the modernisation process currently underway at the IPO and the subsequent progress on processing international protection applications.

Following significant investment in staff, reengineered processes and technology, the IPO almost doubled the decisions made in 2023, compared to 2022.

The Minister added:

“The International Protection system currently undergoing a significant modernisation programme to ensure it is agile, robust and fully resourced to meet the unprecedented increase in applications in recent years.

“The challenges presented by migration and asylum cannot be effectively addressed by any state acting alone in an increasingly globalised and interdependent world. The Pact seeks to establish a more coherent approach across the EU to migration, asylum, integration and border management, fit for the fast moving world of the 21st century.

"I am undertaking intensive work to be in a position to advise Government on the implications of opting-in to the Pact. I will bring a recommendation to Government before the end of March.”