Eligibility Quiz
Requirements
Who Qualifies
To be eligible for resettlement to Ireland, you must:
- Be recognized as a refugee by UNHCR under the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention in your country of refuge
- Have resettlement identified by UNHCR as the most appropriate durable solution for your circumstances
- Fall into one or more UNHCR resettlement categories, which include:
- Legal or physical protection needs
- Survivors of torture or violence
- Medical needs requiring treatment available in Ireland
- Women and girls at risk
- Family reunification (with family members already resettled to Ireland)
- Children and adolescents at risk
- Lack of foreseeable alternative durable solutions
Critical: No Direct Application
You cannot apply directly to Ireland for resettlement. The Irish government decides each year how many refugees to resettle and from which countries, based on UNHCR's global resettlement needs. UNHCR then identifies and refers cases from those designated countries. If you are a refugee outside Ireland, you must contact the UNHCR office in your country of refuge to discuss whether resettlement is possible. UNHCR Ireland cannot help you be resettled to Ireland and cannot influence which individuals or families are selected.
Countries of Origin
Ireland currently resettles refugees primarily from Syria (via Lebanon and Jordan), though the specific countries change annually based on global displacement patterns and Irish government decisions.
Humanitarian Admissions (Separate Stream)
Ireland also operates a Humanitarian Admissions Programme with separate criteria. The 2024 programme prioritized at-risk individuals from Afghanistan, including LGBTIQ+ activists, human rights defenders, journalists, judges, prosecutors, and members of religious minorities at particular risk. The 2025 humanitarian admissions programme closed in late 2025; details for 2026 have not yet been announced.
Conditions & Warnings
You cannot apply directly to Ireland for resettlement. UNHCR identifies and refers refugees from designated countries of refuge; individuals cannot submit applications or nominate themselves.
Resettlement is not a right. There are far more refugees in need than places available; being recognized as a refugee does not guarantee referral for resettlement.
The International Protection Bill 2026 (expected law by June 2026) will introduce a 2–3 year waiting period before resettled refugees can apply for family reunification and will require financial self-sufficiency.
Integration support from a local resettlement worker is limited to 18 months after moving to private housing; plan for self-sufficiency beyond this period.
Fraud in the resettlement process (e.g., misrepresenting family composition or providing false information) can result in closure of your file, criminal prosecution, and deportation.