Ruling allows refugees stay if they face serious harm at home

MANY more refugees afraid to return to their own countries should qualify to remain in Ireland following a ruling from the European Court of Justice which says they need only face serious harm if they return home.

As a result, an applicant does not have to prove he or she is specifically targeted if they return to their home country, but should only have to show that because of the level of violence he or she would be at real risk.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/ideyqlojey/

Most Asylum Seekers come here from UK

OFFICIAL FIGURES indicate that the bulk of those claiming asylum status in the Republic in the past 12 months came here from Britain and arrived across the Border with Northern Ireland.
According to figures supplied by Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan, in response to a parliamentary question from Labour Justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte, more than 90 per cent of asylum seekers were already in this State when they first applied for asylum.
The figures show that 3,844 people sought asylum in the Republic in the 12 months to the end of March. Of that number, 3,248 made their first application for asylum at the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner on Mount Street in Dublin, and not at their point of entry into the State.
Of this number, only 12 sought asylum at ports, and 304 made their application at airports. A further 244 sought asylum from prison after they were jailed for committing an offence in this State.

http://www.immigrationcontrol.org/news.html#latestnewsitem

One fifth of foreign children in care 'go missing'

ALMOST one in five foreign children placed in Health Service Executive care go missing and are never found again, shocking new figures reveal.
More than 440 children, most of whom are asylum seekers who arrived in Ireland unaccompanied by any adult relatives, have gone missing from HSE facilities since 2000 and remain unaccounted for.

Of 2,536 foreign children placed in HSE care since 2000, some 441 have gone missing from care and only a very small proportion of them were later found.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-fifth-of-foreign-children-in-care-go-missing-1353867.html

Govt to make 200 changes to Immigration Bill

THE GOVERNMENT is to make more than 200 of its own amendments to the controversial Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill, The Irish Times has learned.
The amendments, which were drafted after a series of meetings between officials from the Department of Justice and the Office of Integration, include the removal of a requirement for residents from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) to seek the Minister for Justice's permission to marry.
Officials have agreed that aspects of the proposed law could damage Ireland's ability to attract and retain skilled migrants, and many of the changes aim to make the immigration regime more attractive to those who are legally resident here.
One change will allow for multiple re-entry visas to be issued to 60,000 resident foreigners who currently have to apply for a re-entry visa each time they leave the State.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0421/1208468936238.html?via=mr

Cost of Asylum Support Services

5. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the + the cost of the asylum direct provision accommodation centres+ [14216/08]
Deputy Brian Lenihan: The Reception and Integration Agency is responsible for the accommodation of ++++

This data bank, with other measures being applied by the Refugee Appeals Tribunal will be of considerable assistance in clearing the current backlog of cases.
The Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill 2008 comprehensively reforms and simplifies the current asylum system through the introduction of a single procedure for the investigation of all grounds, including protection ones, put forward by applicants for protection. The investigation of such an application shall also include whether, not being entitled to protection, an applicant should be otherwise permitted to remain in the State. This reform of the processing framework will lead to the removal of the existing multi-layered and sequential process which considers refugee matters first and then as part of a whole new process, issues associated with leave to remain in the State. It will allow an applicant to receive a final decision on their application in a more timely and efficient manner.
Spending in 2005 broken down as follows:

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20080417.XML&Node=H12-5#H12-5

High Court rejects challenge by Nigerians to stay in Ireland

In what has been described as an important ruling the High Court has rejected six failed Nigerian asylum seekers challenge against the Minister for Justice's decision not to grant them a subsidiary protection order which would allow them to remain in the State.
Today at the High Court Mr Justice Peter Charleton found that the applicants, whose applications to be granted asylum in Ireland were turned down, are not entitled to judicial review of the Minister's decision to refuse them subsidiary protection.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=mhojsnkfcwcw&c=ireland