IRELAND’S ECONOMIC downturn has seen hundreds of immigrants access a scheme to voluntarily return home instead of being deported.
According to figures released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Dublin, some 405 people were assisted to return to 42 countries during 2009 under its voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme, funded by the Department of Justice and European Union.
Theodora Suter, IOM Dublin’s chief of mission, said it had “such a huge number of people coming to us to request support” that it altered the criteria for the scheme in March 2009. It is now open to all asylum seekers and “irregular migrants that are in vulnerable situations”.
The scheme had previously been accessible to all “irregular migrants”, which refers to immigrants without legal status.
Melita Kulenovic, senior operations manager with IOM Dublin, said the new “vulnerability criteria” encapsulates those who are destitute, victims of trafficking, unaccompanied minors, those with special health needs, single parents, and “couples with three or more children who do not have the financial means to return home”.
All asylum seekers can access the scheme, which provides small funds for business start-ups (€600 for individuals; €1,000 for families) or further training in countries of origin.
Any asylum seeker wishing to access the scheme is encouraged to first seek legal advice, and individuals issued with a deportation order are no longer eligible, say IOM.
During 2009, the main nationality accessing the scheme was Brazilians, followed by Moldovans, Nigerians, Georg-ians and South Africans. According to Kulenovic, 2010 has so far witnessed similar trends, with a noted increase in interest from South Africans, whose home country hosts this summer’s Fifa World Cup.
Suter said IOM can assist participants in developing their business ideas and general “reintegration”, and insisted the process is dissimilar to deportation in a number of ways.
“They travel as normal passengers, and their passport is not stamped,” she said, adding that participants are eligible to travel to EU countries, including Ireland, in the future.
The assisted return takes between three weeks to two months to organise, depending on the individual or families’ circumstances.
People participating in the scheme must first be approved by the Department of Justice, which said: “Each application form submitted by IOM to the department for approval is retained by the department. The department also retains asylum files where the person wishing to return to their home country had made an asylum application.”
Asked if participation in the IOM programme could affect future visa applications to Ireland, a department spokesperson said: “Where someone voluntarily returns to their home country under the IOM Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme they are free to seek to legally enter the State (eg tourist visa, work permit, etc) at any future stage.”
