The absence of any route for immigration into Ireland from non-EU countries other than asylum-seeking is a major cause of abuse of the process, according to a new report on refugees and asylum-seekers.
The report, by Ms Pauline Faughnan of the Social Science Research Centre in UCD, draws on existing research, outlines the present situation of refugees in Ireland, and recommends further research, especially the collection and analysis of data on asylum-seekers and on services.
She points out that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has suggested that it is not healthy for the asylum system of any country that there should be only one channel (asylum-seeking) whereby immigrants from outside the EU can get in.
"If such an immigration route existed, many of the existing asylum-seekers would choose it by preference to the current one. The current policy, whereby every would-be immigrant has to claim to be an asylum-seeker, puts great pressure on the asylum-granting process," it says. Because the State restricts immigration to the asylum route, this route is abused.
The report points out that Government policy is not designed to assist the integration of asylum-seekers into the State. Officially they are resident only on a temporary basis, so they have no right to work, no statutory provision for language classes, no access to education or training and no resources to help integrate their children into the mainstream schooling system.
The lack of access to work while awaiting a decision can hinder the integration of refugees in the long term, the report says, asking: "When does the integration process for refugees begin?
"Refugees and those given leave to remain [on humanitarian grounds] commence their stay in the State as asylum-seekers . . . This is particularly relevant when the determination of status takes several years for large numbers of people."
The report points out that the numbers of asylum-seekers, although rising, is still very small. People seeking asylum formed only about 9 per cent of total immigration, which was 44,000 in 1997. Only 5 per cent of all refugees in the world have sought sanctuary in Europe.