The Coalition will debate an unexpectedly far-reaching package of immigration reforms when Cabinet meets on Wednesday, 26 November. According to a briefing paper seen by The Irish Times, Minister for Justice and Migration Jim O’Callaghan and Minister of State Colm Brophy will ask Ministers to sign off on a sliding scale of weekly accommodation charges for people in the International Protection (IP) process.
If approved, the charge would apply to the roughly 13,000 people who will live in State-provided IP accommodation next year. Anyone earning more than €600 a week would pay €238— almost 40 % of their wages— while those earning between €97 and €150 would pay €15. The Department of Justice estimates that about 7,600 protection applicants will fall within the chargeable bands in 2026; however, officials concede the scheme will be cost-neutral at best once administration and means-testing costs are added.
![Government plans new accommodation charges of up to 40 % on asylum-seekers’ income]()
The proposal is part of a wider drive to discourage what the Government calls “secondary movement” from the UK and mainland Europe. Parallel measures include lengthening the residency requirement for refugee-status holders who wish to naturalise (from three to five years) and introducing stricter evidential tests for family-reunification applications. A similar tightening of benefits for protection applicants was announced in Denmark earlier this year and, according to senior officials, has “informed” Ireland’s approach.
Business groups are watching closely. Multinationals operating shared-service centres in Dublin and Cork have warned that higher payroll deductions could undermine their efforts to recruit in-country refugee talent, particularly in entry-level IT and finance roles that pay in the €32,000-€38,000 range. NGOs, meanwhile, argue the charge will push applicants further into poverty and leave them more reliant on charity.
In political terms the reform helps the Coalition head off mounting pressure from opposition parties to emulate the UK’s newly announced immigration caps. Yet by monetising support that had long been provided free of charge, the Government risks a fresh backlash from church groups, charities and rights bodies just weeks before the Dáil adjourns for Christmas. O’Callaghan insists the plan is “balanced” and says he will publish an impact assessment before a final vote in early December.
If approved, the charge would apply to the roughly 13,000 people who will live in State-provided IP accommodation next year. Anyone earning more than €600 a week would pay €238— almost 40 % of their wages— while those earning between €97 and €150 would pay €15. The Department of Justice estimates that about 7,600 protection applicants will fall within the chargeable bands in 2026; however, officials concede the scheme will be cost-neutral at best once administration and means-testing costs are added.
The proposal is part of a wider drive to discourage what the Government calls “secondary movement” from the UK and mainland Europe. Parallel measures include lengthening the residency requirement for refugee-status holders who wish to naturalise (from three to five years) and introducing stricter evidential tests for family-reunification applications. A similar tightening of benefits for protection applicants was announced in Denmark earlier this year and, according to senior officials, has “informed” Ireland’s approach.
Business groups are watching closely. Multinationals operating shared-service centres in Dublin and Cork have warned that higher payroll deductions could undermine their efforts to recruit in-country refugee talent, particularly in entry-level IT and finance roles that pay in the €32,000-€38,000 range. NGOs, meanwhile, argue the charge will push applicants further into poverty and leave them more reliant on charity.
In political terms the reform helps the Coalition head off mounting pressure from opposition parties to emulate the UK’s newly announced immigration caps. Yet by monetising support that had long been provided free of charge, the Government risks a fresh backlash from church groups, charities and rights bodies just weeks before the Dáil adjourns for Christmas. O’Callaghan insists the plan is “balanced” and says he will publish an impact assessment before a final vote in early December.
