The Republic of Ireland is offering families of asylum seekers up to 10,000 euros to withdraw their claims and leave the country voluntarily, raising concerns about the government’s approach to immigration.
A minister’s order, signed by Judge Jim O’Callaghan, has increased the grants for voluntary returns, raising individual payments to 2,500 euros ($2,900) for those dropping their asylum claims, and 10,000 euros ($11,700) for families departing the country. Irish era Report.
Prior to this, the payments were much lower—1,500 euros ($1,800) for individuals and 6,000 euros ($7,000) for families. This change comes as part of a strategy to target individuals with questionable asylum applications.
The financial incentives for return might be considerably less burdensome for taxpayers compared to the asylum process itself, which can cost around 122,000 euros ($143,000) per immigrant, accounting for various social services provided to them, according to Dublin’s Justice Department.
Interestingly, it may actually prove to be less expensive than deportation. For instance, deporting 35 migrants to Nigeria was reported to cost 325,000 euros ($381,000).
This return allowance initiative resembles similar programs in other European nations, like Sweden, which currently offers 5,000 euros ($5,900) for voluntary returns from asylum seekers.
However, it seems Sweden might expand its offering significantly, potentially providing up to 30,000 euros ($35,000) for those willing to leave.
There are signs of success; in Sweden, asylum applications hit their lowest in 40 years last year. Meanwhile, a similar plan in Germany saw over 8,000 asylum seekers return home voluntarily.
Toward the end of the previous year, Germany’s efforts resulted in more than 8,000 migrants going back to their countries in just 10 months.
Iceland is currently experiencing a significant rise in its immigrant population, which has doubled since 2006, totaling over 1 million people, or about 1 in 5 of the entire population. This has occurred alongside increased social unrest, driven in part by rising immigration-related crime and stagnant wages during a tightening labor market, leading to complaints from local workers regarding cheaper foreign labor.Water flooded.
