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The Minister for Justice, Simon Harris today announced that the temporary protection permission that has been granted to those who have arrived in Ireland fleeing the invasion of Ukraine will be extended for a further 12 months to March 2024.
In making the announcement today the Minister stated:
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues with new offensives against towns and cities. Missile and drone strikes against civilians and critical infrastructure continue. Many lives have been lost, and millions of innocent civilians have been driven from their homes.
"The Irish government and our colleagues across Europe continue to stand resolutely with the Ukrainian government and its people. The commitment to European solidarity is evident now more than ever and is reflected in the recent EU Commission decision to extend temporary protection until March 2024.
"In that regard, I am pleased to announce the extension of temporary protection permissions to people fleeing the war in Ukraine for a further 12 months to March 2024. This will give reassurance to the people who have sought shelter and security here from the war in Ukraine that they will have continued access to the supports that they need. It also provides certainty to the various organisations involved in providing those supports of the future requirements and expectations.
“Ireland has never before seen so many people arrive in such a short time frame. It is our moral imperative to provide support to the Ukrainian people and I am proud of the welcome and support our communities across the country have delivered.
“I would also like to acknowledge the contribution those arriving have made, particularly to our economy as many avail of the opportunity to work. I hope that today’s announcement also provides certainty to employers, many of whom are benefitting from the skills and labour of people who have arrived here from Ukraine.”
The department began granting Temporary Protection to persons fleeing the war in Ukraine on 9 March 2022. To date some 75,000 people have been given Temporary Protection in Ireland.
Each permission is granted for a period of 12 months from the date of issue, meaning that the initial permissions granted will expire on 9 March 2023. Therefore, permissions are due to be renewed/extended from March 2023.
In order to give beneficiaries of temporary protection reassurance as to their ongoing protection status in Ireland, an extension of 12 months permission is now being announced (to March 2024).
While the extension is automatically applied to those who hold temporary permission and no specific action is this regard is required on the part of beneficiaries, a confirmation notice, confirming this extension is available on the Irish immigration website. This can be downloaded and printed by BoTPs as evidence of the extension which, along with their original Temporary Protection permission certificate, will confirm their status in the State.
The Temporary Protection Directive (Council Directive 2001/55/EC) sets out the minimum standards of protection to be provided by EU Member States to third country nationals in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons who are unable to return to their country of origin.
The Directive was activated for the first time by the Council on 4 March 2022.
Article 4 of the Directive provides that the duration of temporary protection is initially for one year and unless terminated under the terms of the Directive, it may be extended automatically by six monthly periods for a maximum of one year.
The EU Commission has recently confirmed that due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine, temporary protection will now be extended automatically until March 2024.