Irish Refugee Protection Programme

On 10 September 2015, as part of Ireland’s response to the migration crisis in central and southern Europe, the Government established the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).

In December 2019, the second phase of the IRPP (IRPP II) was put in place to welcome up to 2,900 refugees through the UNHCR programme between 2020 and 2023 through a combination of resettlement and community sponsorship initiatives. The new phase planned for 2900 UNHCR resettlements in this period. This commitment was to be made up of a majority of Syrian refugees resident in Jordan and Lebanon.

The current phase of the Programme (IRPPIII) was approved by Government in March 2024. Under this phase, covering the period 2024-2027, Government has committed to welcoming 2400 refugees under UNHCR resettlement, along with a further 200 persons under the IRPP’s Humanitarian Admissions Programme.

Under this programme, the IRPP has seen the arrival of over 4,000 refugees under various resettlement strands, the largest of which is the UNHCR led programme.

Between 2021 and 2025, Ireland welcomed 700+ humanitarian cases from Afghanistan through the IRPP Afghan Programme. This work continues through the Irish Government’s IRPP Humanitarian Admissions Programme, prioritising at-risk individuals such as human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, LGBTQ+ individuals, judiciary, and journalists.

The IRPP Humanitarian Admissions Programme 2025, closed in late 2025. Irish Refugee Protection Programme is not in a position to provide an update for IRPP Humanitarian Admissions Programme for 2026 at this time, update will be posted here when available.

Community Sponsorship Ireland (CSI) was established in 2018 as a complementary integration and resettlement stream to the traditional state-centred model. The unique feature of the programme is that it enables a willing population to engage locally by directly supporting a refugee family. The Pilot phase concluded in 2019, and the programme entered implementation phase with applications accepted on an ongoing basis.

The national support organisation for the Community Sponsorship Programme is the Irish Red Cross. Access to a wide range of supports and resources, is available on the Irish Red Cross website communitysponsorship.ie. For any queries, contact info@communitysponsorship.ie or 1800 753 343