Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The responsibility for the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) transferred from my Department to the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth on 14 October 2020.

Before transferring to the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth, the Irish Humanitarian Admission Programme (IHAP) was administered through my Department and ran from May 2018 until March 2019.

The IHAP programme allowed holders of an international protection status in Ireland, (i.e. refugees with Convention or Programme Refugee status), holders of Subsidiary Protection grants, and Irish citizens to make a proposal to bring to the State their family members who are nationals of one of the top ten major source countries of refugees as identified by the UNHCR Annual Global Trends Report.

Almost 820 persons were given permission to reside in the State under the IHAP of which 241 Syrians were granted permission to reside in the State. An additional 119 Syrian beneficiaries were approved under the 2014 Syrian Humanitarian Admissions programme (SHAP).

The rights to family reunification for refugees is as set out in the International Protection Act 2015. Where a person does not meet the criteria as set out in the 2015 Act it is open to refugees and any other person legally resident in the State to make an application for family reunification as provided for in the Non EEA Policy Document on Family Reunification.

Further information on this process can be found on my Department's ISD website at: www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/