Draft Refugee Integration StrategyThe Executive’s Racial Equality Strategy 2015-2025 provides a framework for Government departments to tackle racial inequalities and to promote and encourage good race relations and social cohesion for Irish Travellers, minority ethnic people whose families have been here a number of generations or who have recently arrived, migrant workers and asylum seekers. The Racial Equality Strategy states there is a strong case for a separate Refugee Integration Strategy, to ensure a smooth transition between being an asylum seeker and a refugee and to ensure that refugees can build a new life here and realise their full potential.
The Executive Office have been working and engaging across key stakeholders in various sectors and have developed a Refugee Integration Strategy that reflects the thoughts and ideas of those stakeholders whilst building on learning from programmes such as the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
The draft Refugee Integration Strategy was consulted on in 2022. Consultation ran from Monday 29 November 2021 to Monday 21 February 2022, a 12-week consultation period.
Following the consultation, the draft strategy has been revised to recognise the significantly changed landscape in respect of our Refugee and Asylum Seeker population and to reflect the consultation responses.