The Government will change proposals to alter the qualifying time in family reunification cases for people with refugee status from three years to two, the Minister for Justice has said.
Jim O’Callaghan told the Dáil on Thursday that the International Protection Bill will be amended having listened to Government and Opposition TDs.
The Minister was speaking as the Bill, which will bring a major reform of asylum law to bring it into line with the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, was being debated at second stage.
Measures include cutting the time limit for asylum decisions to six months, with three months for a first decision and three for an appeal. The legislation establishes an appeals tribunal with fewer oral hearings and greater use of video testimony.
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O’Callagan told the Cabinet last month that people granted refugee status will have to wait for three years before bringing relatives including spouses and children to Ireland under a tightening of family reunification rules.
However, speaking on Thursday afternoon the Minister said: “In respect of family reunification, myself and [junior] minister [Colm] Brophy have looked at it, as the proposal was that we would have a requirement for a three-year waiting period.
“Minister Brophy and I believe, having listened to the House, and our colleagues in our own parties as well, that we will alter that to a two-year waiting period.
“We’re doing that on the basis of what’s being said, but also on the basis of a European Court of Human Rights judgment, in terms of the case against Denmark. It clearly recognises that a two-year waiting period is permissible.”
The Fianna Fáil TD added the legislation was “a complicated issue” but that “we’ve done our best to reform it as best we can for fairness for everyone”.
Minister of State at the Department of Justice Colm Brophy said a two-year wait period in family reunification cases and the ability for them to show they can “support and sustain” those people coming into the country was “fair”.
“We are saying that if you come here and you are granted the right to remain here, then not only have you a right then to look for family unification after a period of time, but also must have the ability to sustain people coming into the country,” he said.
“Because we have to be reasonable in terms of what this country can actually do, and we need to make sure that there is a balance between people being able to reunify with their family and the costs involved to that for the State, it’s not something that you can ignore. It’s not something you can pretend to wish away. It’s an actual, real choice. It’s a real cost.”
Earlier this week, Fine Gael TD Naoise Ó Muirí urged O’Callaghan to reduce the planned waiting time for family reunification applications from three years to one.
Ó Muirí said last year 153 spouses were granted permission to come to Ireland under arrangements for people granted international protection, out of “123,000 plus” people who entered Ireland in 2025.
“That’s just 0.12 per cent of that total, yet their presence plays a crucial role in helping those who get protection restore a sense of normality and security to their own lives,” he told the chamber.
Acknowledging the current system “is under significant strain and requires reform” he said it was still “essential we find a balance between improving efficiency and upholding the rights of applicants and in line with our own history, taking a humane approach to this issue”.
