Algeria Designated as ‘Safe’ Country for Asylum Seekers in Ireland

Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, has announced that Algeria will be added to the list of ‘safe’ countries of origin for asylum seekers. This move is part of efforts to streamline the asylum application process in response to the increasing attention on immigration-related issues among voters.

Another country to be added to the list of safe countries is Botswana.

Ms. McEntee said the decision, set to be presented in a memo to the Cabinet for sign-off on Tuesday, designates Algeria and Botswana as safe countries and will ensure asylum seekers traveling from countries deemed safe are issued asylum applications within a maximum of 90 days.

She also plans to implement measures to tighten restrictions on individuals who already hold refugee status in another European state. Such cases will be subject to an inadmissibility procedure, to be processed immediately, effective from Tuesday.

Ms. McEntee will also tell the Cabinet she intends to increase the number of international protection applicants (IPAS) subject to fast processing.

Algeria is included specifically as it accounts for over 3,100 individuals seeking international protection in Ireland, while Botswana, according to recent figures, accounts for 746.

The countries currently on the ‘safe countries’ list comprise Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and South Africa.