Refugee Resettlement

Refugee Resettlement is a term used to describe the selection and transfer of refugees from a country of asylum to a third country which has agreed to admit them and in which refugees can permanently settle. People who participate in Refugee Resettlement are known as “programme refugees”.

Refugee resettlement programmes are one of the few legal pathways and durable solutions for refugees. There are 29 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2023), the vast majority of whom are hosted in lower and middle-income countries, who struggle to meet their needs.

Approximately 1% of refugees are resettled to higher income countries. Doras advocate for increased resettlement quotas in Ireland and in the EU to help meet the needs of displaced persons worldwide.

Doras has provided refugee resettlement support to communities in Ireland since 2015, with projects in counties Laois, Wexford, and Limerick. We have developed expertise and a range of resources in this area of resettlement, including a Refugee Resettlement Toolkit which we are pleased to share with service providers to ensure effective integration of refugees in Ireland.

Doras also became a Regional Support Organisation (RSO) for Community Sponsorship in counties Limerick, Tipperary, and Clare at the start of 2021. Community Sponsorship enables neighbours, friends, colleagues, or members of a local sports/social club to come together and play an active role in the reception and integration of refugee families resettling in Ireland.