The countries due to become EU members in May next year, along with applicant countries Romania and Bulgaria, will be designated as "safe countries" for asylum-seekers from today.
This means that while asylum applications by people from these countries will be considered, it will be up to individual applicants to rebut the assumption that they are not in need of refugee protection.
This, along with a number of other amendments to the Refugee Act, comes into force today. These amendments include a provision that applicants from certain countries, notably the designated safe countries of origin, will be prioritised by the processing agency. Failure to co-operate with the processing agencies could mean rejection of a person's application.
The amended Act also lists a range of factors the Refugee Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal must consider when assessing the credibility of applicants. These include having no reasonable explanation for lack of identity documents or forged documents; giving vague or obviously false information; or having no reasonable explanation for a delay in making an application.
The new arrangements apply to existing applicants who have not, as of today, been interviewed, as well as all new applications.