Ireland plans to review the status of thousands of Ukrainians and launch a return home program

Ireland plans to review the status of thousands of Ukrainians and launch a return home program

Ireland intends to terminate accommodation contracts for about 16,000 Ukrainians within a year and launch a policy of their return.

This is reported by The Sunday Times.

The Minister of State for Migration stated that the authorities want to end the situation where those who arrived at the beginning of the war continue to rely on state support: "We want to put an end to the situation where 16,000 people... will no longer rely on us. Because no other EU country provides such conditions."

According to him, the deadlines have already been set: "They must leave because we are terminating the contracts... I want this schedule to be completed within the next 12 months."

The authorities are discussing either cancelling the temporary protection directive or limiting assistance only to residents of the most affected areas. At the same time, a voluntary return programme with payments is being prepared — up to 2500 euros per person or up to 10,000 euros per family.

The minister called these measures "generous" and noted that they are commensurate with the support provided to refugees upon their arrival: "It is quite logical to respond generously by giving people the opportunity to return."

Since February 2022, more than 125,000 Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Ireland. The relevant EU directive is set to expire in March next year.