The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum will completely change how people apply for international protection in Ireland. In just three weeks, our politicians will review new asylum laws that will come into force in June 2026. Oxfam Ireland, alongside civil society organisations around the country have found serious risks to human rights and fair process in the published outlines. There is still time for us to influence these new laws together.
The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is package of ten pieces of law intended to reform the EU’s migration and asylum system. The EU agreed on the Pact in 2024 and Ireland soon opted in. Each EU member states has until June 2026 to implement the Pact. The Irish government is developing new laws and policies to give expression to the Pact.
These laws will shape every step of the process of applying for international protection in Ireland including when a person first arrives to the border, how they are accommodated, their right to legal advice during the process and how people are identified and protected. That’s why it is so important that we act now to protect the human rights and safety of people seeking international protection.
What changes is the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum introducing and what we are recommending?
Oxfam Ireland has joined with civil society groups around Ireland calling for the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum to be implemented in a way that is rights-centred, humane, and aligned with the country’s values. The Coalition on the EU Migration Pact is made up of the Irish Refugee Council, Crosscare, Doras, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, the Immigrant Council of Ireland, the Irish Penal Reform Trust, the Jesuit Refugee Service, Nasc, Oxfam Ireland, LGBT Ireland and Spirasi.
Based on our experiences we have identified our main concerns (to read more you can find the Coalition Full Analysis and Executive Summary here. )
Fiona Hurley, CEO of Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre in Cork, said:
“This legislation marks one of the most significant shifts in asylum law in the history of the State. It risks dismantling key human rights protections, including fair procedures and meaningful access to asylum.
It will turn Ireland’s asylum system into one that prioritises speed and enforcement over fairness and human rights. It normalises the erosion of human rights standards against some of the most vulnerable groups in our society. This should concern everyone who believes in fairness, accountability and the rule of law. The rights being limited here will not stop at the border.”
— Fiona Hurley, CEO of Nasc, the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre in Cork
Seeking asylum is a human right and every person in the world has the right to apply for asylum if they are fleeing conflict or persecution. But under the new EU Migration Pact, people seeking protection could be detained at Irish borders. Detention harms people who have made difficult and traumatic journeys. It also harms our society by undermining the very core of who we are.
The new Pact must make it explicit that no child - accompanied or alone - will ever be deprived of their liberty.
The Pact does not make clear if people seeking protection will have their basic right to legal representation.
Early legal advice for international protection applicants means better quality of decision-making. Poor decision-making leads to increased court cases and backlogs and increases the risk of people being returned to a country where they face grave danger without proper consideration of their case. All applicants must have the right to independent legal advice and representation throughout the protection process.
Vulnerable people, which includes unaccompanied children, and victims of torture or trafficking, could be at risk of having their fundamental rights curtailed by the Pact. The new Pact’s accelerated border procedures may lead to the most vulnerable losing the chance to seek proper help or gather evidence to support their asylum claim. We must make sure the new laws include proper needs assessment and safeguards.
Under the EU Migration Pact, most appeals will be decided on paper only, giving people no chance to explain in person. If your life were at stake, wouldn’t you want to be heard?
The Pact allows deportation before appeals are heard. That means a person could be deported before it has been decided whether they need to stay for protection reasons. This change risking sending people back to harm. People seeking asylum will have just five days to appeal a life-changing decision; no guarantee of legal advice, representation or an oral hearing. Ireland’s proud history of justice demands better. The option for in-person appeals must remain.
Under the new Pact, people seeking international protection may have their freedom of movement restricted. They might need to check-in daily at an assigned centre. Imagine how limiting that is for someone who needs to work, study or get their children to school on time? This restriction will also affect where a person can live and how they can settle into Irish society. Everyone has the right to seek safety. People who enter Ireland should not be treated as though they have done something wrong and be subjected to constant monitoring. No applicant should have their freedom of movement restricted, unless prescribed by law.
Join us and Take Action
Oxfam Ireland, along with 160 civil society organisations opposed the introduction of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in 2024. Now that the Pact is coming, we have to do everything we can to protect the human rights and dignity of people who seek protection in Ireland.
The Irish government is still drafting the new laws and processes that will shape access to justice and human rights for people seeking protection in Ireland for years to come. If politicians don’t hear from you, they won’t know that you care about the human rights and safety of people seeking protection in Ireland.
The Irish Coalition on the EU Migration Pact is asking you to write to your TD asking them to make sure the new pact is rights respecting.
You can take action here.
Your email is already drafted and you can personalise it if you’d like.
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“This legislation marks one of the most significant shifts in asylum law in the history of the State. It risks dismantling key human rights protections, including fair procedures and meaningful access to asylum.
