People who arrived in Ireland after fleeing the invasion of Ukraine last year are to be given an extension of their temporary-protection permission.

Minister for Justice Simon Harris has announced that such permission will be extended for a further 12 months, to March 2024.

The European Commission recently extended temporary protection for Ukrainians to March next year, having first activated its Temporary Protection Directive in March last year.

The directive sets out the minimum standards of protection to be provided by member states to third-country nationals in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons.

Access to supports

Minister Harris said that the move would reassure those who had sought shelter and security in Ireland that they would have continued access to the supports that they needed.

“It also provides certainty to the various organisations involved in providing those supports of the future requirements and expectations,” he added.

The Department of Justice began granting temporary protection to those fleeing the war in Ukraine on 9 March last year. To date, around 75,000 people have been given such protection in Ireland.

Each permission was granted for a period of 12 months from the date of issue, meaning that the initial permissions granted had been due to expire on 9 March 2023.

The department says that, while the extension is automatically applied to those who hold temporary permission, and they do not need to take any further action, a notice confirming the extension is available on the Irish immigration website.