TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has stressed that Ireland has a rules based system when it comes to immigration and acknowledged that the government has a “big job” to do at tackling far-right myths. 

The Taoiseach said international protection is the area of greatest controversy. 

“One of the far-right myths that has gained the most traction is the idea that international protection applicants are unvetted,” he told reporters at a roundtable interview last week. 

“It’s always been the case that we register, photograph, and fingerprint applicants for international protection to the extent that some sort of find it a bit demeaning.

“We’ve always done this and done it for good reasons.” 

The Taoiseach said arrivals are then checked against Europol watch lists.

He added that it may have been the case that the government was previously afraid to talk about this in the past because people might have accused them of being “hardline” or engaging in anti-immigrant rhetoric.

“But I think in order to secure ongoing public support for migration, which we need, we’re going to need to reassure people, that there are rules and our system is rules-based, and those rules are enforced and they are to be respected,” he said.

Tax dodgers and welfare cheats 

Varadkar said the public also needs to be aware that people who abuse the migration system are in a small minority.

“Just as there are people who abuse our tax system, tax dodgers, just as there are people who abuse our welfare system, welfare cheats, there will be people who abuse our migration system they need to be dealt with.

“But they’re not the majority of migrants, they are a pretty small minority of migrants and I think we just need to explain that a bit better,” he said.

The Taoiseach also spoke of how the government is working to speed up the length of time it takes for an international protection application to be processed.

He said for countries on the safe list, most decisions are now being processed within three months of a person arriving.

“So it’s a quicker turnaround in terms of decisions in terms of appeals,” he said.

“Then where somebody is refused the right to stay here or breaches the terms of their visa, there are deportation orders. I think this year seven or 800 deportation orders have been signed, and that’s quite a large number.

“Most of those people will leave voluntarily, but some have to be removed from the state as well. So they’re the kind of things that we’re doing,” Varadkar said.

Changes to Ukrainian system

Earlier this month, the government agreed to cut social welfare supports for Ukrainians living in state accommodation.

Currently, those fleeing the war in Ukraine are entitled to a jobseekers’ allowance of €220 per week, but this is set to be cut to €38.80 for new arrivals to the State.

A 90-day limit for state accommodation for new arrivals from Ukraine will also be implemented, with a view to enactment by the end of January.

The Taoiseach said last week that these changes do not signal the start of a tougher immigration regime in Ireland. 

“What we tried to do is align with what other European countries do and as other European countries change their offering, we thought it appropriate that we should change ours as well,” he said.

Far-right myths

The Taoiseach said it is “too easy” to make the mistake that international protection [seekers] or people coming from Ukraine represent the majority of the people that come to Ireland when that’s not the case.

“We have a big job to do I think as a government to talk straight, to be more honest with people and explain to them how migration works, because a lot of the kind of far-right myths are gaining traction.

“The idea that we open borders, which is absurd, we have an open border with Northern Ireland only, we’ve no other open border.

“The idea that Ireland is somehow a soft touch. That’s nonsense. When it comes to international protection, the number of arrivals is about the EU average for the last two years and was well below the EU average for the preceding years,” the Taoiseach said.