Nearly 80 per cent of a representative sample of asylum-seekers surveyed in a new UCD study had some form of third-level qualifications.
According to the study, carried out by the Holy Spirit Congregation in association with UCD's public health department, 40 per cent had university qualifications, 28 per cent had finished polytechnic or teacher training courses and 11 per cent had followed postgraduate degree courses. Only 2 per cent had received primary education alone.
The authors warn that the study's findings need to be interpreted with caution because the sample is a small one.
The group of 43 asylum-seekers studied included computer programmers, engineers, teachers and healthcare professionals. Over half said they had "at least basic computer skills." Under present Government regulations, none of these people is allowed to work.
The study found that 58 per cent of the sample came from the top three social categories: higher professional and managerial; lower professional and managerial; and other non-manual.
Asked about their perception of the atmosphere of racial integration and tolerance in Ireland, only 9 per cent of the asylum-seekers described it as good or very good, while over half called it poor or very poor.
The report's authors conclude: "This feedback must be a source of concern and not very promising for the fostering of a multi-racial society."
They note that despite claims that many asylum-seekers are happy to live on social welfare payments, over three-quarters of those surveyed felt they were financially worse off in Ireland than in their own countries.
70 per cent found it difficult to secure accommodation, with the majority citing racial discrimination by landlords as the main problem.
The main source of stress for over 90 per cent was the difficulty of visiting their home countries in an emergency for reasons of personal safety; and worry about the safety of family members in those countries. Nearly 90 per cent also cited delays in processing their asylum applications and not being allowed to work.
Just over three-quarters also cited racial discrimination. This included threatening or abusive letters, verbal abuse on the streets, unnecessary monitoring while in shops or public places, a lack of common courtesy and some physical attacks.
Institutional expressions of discrimination included lack of courtesy by some officials and especially the differential treatment they received at ports of entry.
The study concludes that "there is a failure to provide a fair and independent asylum determination process; an absence of legal assistance during the first stage of the determination process; a protracted period of waiting and uncertainty endured by asylum-seekers before even an initial decision is delivered"; and "a social ethos of hostility, reflected in hurtful media stereotyping towards asylum seekers."
It goes on: "there is a lack of provision for language training and a formal introduction to Irish life", including proper information on relevant services; and "an administrative failure to deliver a co-ordinated reception policy with an emphasis on integration and the felt needs of asylum-seekers." The Irish Refugee Council and self-help organisations are unable to fulfil their potential due to lack of resources.
"Against this general background, the pattern of findings is not surprising. Asylum-seekers feel isolated, vulnerable and powerless," the study concludes. A linked health needs study of 37 asylum-seekers by UCD's public health department found that psychological ill-health was "a major concern" for them.