In a separate 6 November announcement, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan released early findings from Ireland’s first national Legal Needs Survey. Conducted with OECD support and 2,400 respondents, the study found that 80 % of adults experienced at least one justice problem in the past two years; among them, 34 % reported financial loss and 34 % adverse mental-health impacts. Migrants, young adults and people with disabilities reported above-average difficulty navigating legal processes.
Although not limited to immigration matters, the survey provides the first quantitative baseline on how newcomers access courts, tribunals and legal advice. Only 66 % of those facing problems said they could obtain expert help, suggesting significant unmet need among recent arrivals unfamiliar with Irish procedures.
![Justice Minister publishes preliminary Legal Needs Survey—highlights barriers for migrants]()
The Department of Justice will use the data to shape a People-Centred Justice roadmap running to 2027. Planned measures include multilingual ‘legal aid navigators’, expansion of the free Civil Legal Aid scheme to cover some immigration issues, and digital portals linked to the new Immigration Service Delivery platform.
For global-mobility teams, the survey points to a future compliance environment where authorities assume that well-designed services allow migrants to understand and obey the rules—placing more onus on individuals and sponsoring employers to meet deadlines. At the same time, expanded legal-aid pathways could help international hires resolve tenancy or employment disputes without jeopardising their status.
HR leaders should monitor the final survey, due mid-2026, as it may trigger legislative tweaks to the Legal Services Regulation Act and the roll-out of plain-language immigration guidance.
Although not limited to immigration matters, the survey provides the first quantitative baseline on how newcomers access courts, tribunals and legal advice. Only 66 % of those facing problems said they could obtain expert help, suggesting significant unmet need among recent arrivals unfamiliar with Irish procedures.
The Department of Justice will use the data to shape a People-Centred Justice roadmap running to 2027. Planned measures include multilingual ‘legal aid navigators’, expansion of the free Civil Legal Aid scheme to cover some immigration issues, and digital portals linked to the new Immigration Service Delivery platform.
For global-mobility teams, the survey points to a future compliance environment where authorities assume that well-designed services allow migrants to understand and obey the rules—placing more onus on individuals and sponsoring employers to meet deadlines. At the same time, expanded legal-aid pathways could help international hires resolve tenancy or employment disputes without jeopardising their status.
HR leaders should monitor the final survey, due mid-2026, as it may trigger legislative tweaks to the Legal Services Regulation Act and the roll-out of plain-language immigration guidance.
