Asylum applicants from five additional countries will experience a faster evaluation of their refugee status beginning this coming Wednesday, as divulged by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee. During a Cabinet meeting set for Tuesday, McEntee is scheduled to reveal new proposals regarding the expansion of the ‘safe countries’ list which will expedite the asylum request process, with preliminary decisions predicted to be arrived at within a span of three months. Expected additions to this category include Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi and Morocco.
These nations are joining the ten currently acknowledged as safe origins, such as Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and South Africa.
Government officials emphasise that being recognised as a safe origin state does not invalidate an asylum claim from a resident of that country or hinder an individual from applying. Conversely, it challenges the applicant to demonstrate the exceptional nature of their situation and support their need for protection.
The implementation of ‘safe country’ status and the subsequent acceleration in processing times has resulted in reduced applications from countries in this category. For instance, both Botswana and Algeria, having been enlisted in January of this year, have seen a 71 per cent decrease in submissions.
Nigerian applicants — although Nigeria has not been designated a safe country — are similarly subject to an expedited application process. This has resulted in a nearly 50 per cent decrease in applications since it commenced.
Recent data from the Department of Justice indicates that Nigeria remains the most populous country of origin for asylum seekers in this region. Out of 9,199 applications observed in the five months up to June, Nigeria accounted for 31% (2843 applications).
In related news, last week saw the Dáil pass a vote of 79 to 72 in favour of participating in the contentious EU Migration and Asylum Pact, aimed at standardising immigration controls throughout the 27 EU member nations. Discussions regarding the pact have been ongoing for eight years at an EU level, and three months back, the Government decided to participate, with the pact set to be operational in two years.
The stipulations of the agreement dictate a rigorous control at borders which requires identity verification, health evaluation and capturing of biometric information, such as fingerprints, for everyone over six years old. The authorities will house immigrants in holding facilities situated near air and sea ports. The government is adamant that these establishments are not detention centres. Asylum applicants’ requests will be dealt with in a time frame not exceeding twelve weeks.