JUSTICE MINISTER FRANCES Fitzgerald today announced that Ireland had given 111 Syrians permission to live and work in the country since March.
Under the Syrian Humanitarian Admissions Programme (SHAP) introduced by then Minister Alan Shatter, Syrians already resident in Ireland could apply for vulnerable family members – many fleeing civil war – to join them here.
According to a statement this afternoon, those admitted are “entitled to work, establish a business, or invest in the State,” and that a condition of their admission is that they don’t become “a burden on the State.”
The SHAP scheme is in addition to a resettlement project overseen by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, which has seen a total of 90 Syrian nationals already settling in Ireland so far this year.
While 111 have been granted admission under SHAP, 197 out of 308 applicants have had their petitions rejected.
Sue Conlon, CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, told TheJournal.ie that while she welcome today’s announcement, the government must do more.
There is a need for greater solidarity with not only Syrian refugees, but also countries close to Syria which are bearing the greater burden.
And, given that the UN World Food programme has run out of money to feed and accommodate Syrian refugees, the government could do more to provide support for those abroad.
Minister Fitzgerald explained the mechanism of the resettlement programme, calling it “humane and reasonable.”
The individual family circumstances of each family were considered, in a humane and reasonable way, relying on UNHCR guidelines in granting the applications.
The programme is in addition to other avenues whereby Syrian nationals might lawfully enter the State, such as family reunification for the family members of refugees…
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