The Department of Justice has reiterated that both the International Protection Office (IPO) and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) operate independently in determining applications for international protection.
In a statement, the department emphasised that each case is assessed on its individual merits and in accordance with national and international asylum law.
It said applicants who have been refused international protection and have exhausted the appeals process through the IPAT may apply for a review of their permission to remain if there has been a material change in their circumstances since their original application.
Where such a review is successful, permission to remain in Ireland is granted. If the review is refused, the individual may opt for voluntary return. Should that option not be taken up, a deportation order may be issued in the normal course.
The department added that, prior to the issuing of any deportation order, individuals are offered assistance to return voluntarily to their country of origin. It described voluntary return as the preferred approach and confirmed that a dedicated programme is in place to support those who choose to leave the State before a deportation order is made.
Meanwhile, Titilayo Oyekanmi has appealed for permission to remain in Ireland with her three sons. Ms Oyekanmi, who recently completed her QQI Level 5 qualification in healthcare, had intended to take up employment as a care assistant.
She said her family fled South Africa after receiving threats to their lives and surviving an alleged kidnapping attempt.
“We had to run away from threats to our lives in South Africa. We escaped kidnapping. That same boy who escaped that kidnapping, now they want to send him back to that same country. The xenophobic attacks are still going on in South Africa,” she said.
Born in Nigeria, Ms Oyekanmi said she gave birth to all of her children in South Africa but no longer feels safe there. She said her children are now settled in Ireland and thriving both academically and in sport within their south Dublin community.
“I want my children to be happy. South Africa is not supporting me or my children’s lives. They have already settled in Ireland and are doing very well, both sports-wise and education-wise,” she said.
Ms Oyekanmi said her primary concern is the health, safety and future of her sons. She has appealed to Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to allow the family to remain in the state.
“I’m not here for any benefit from the country. I’m a hard-working lady. I can work for myself and my children. I want to focus on their future. Their future means so much to me and I don’t want to jeopardise that,” she said.
Julie Clements, who operates the Gathering Grounds Café in Kiltiernan where Ms Oyekanmi volunteers, said she had seen documentation relating to threats allegedly made against Ms Oyekanmi while she was operating a shop in South Africa.
“She has documentation as a shop owner in South Africa that, as she put it, thugs came in at gunpoint and told her to leave the community or they would kill her,” Ms Clements said.
“She said they then tracked her down again, and it’s because Nigerians in South Africa are discriminated against by both blacks and whites.”
