Total of 712 Ukrainians beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in county Offaly

A TOTAL of 712 Ukrainians are beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in Offaly while there are another 507 International Protection Applicants in the county.
A recent meeting of Offaly County Council (OCC) was given an update by the local authority's Integration Team and Ukrainian Response.
The meeting was told that the Integration Team continues to engage with International Protection Applicants (IPA) and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) on a regular basis providing information and assistance “to ensure that they can live independently within the community.”
International Protection Applicants are individuals seeking asylum, subject to a lengthy examination process, whereas Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection are primarily people fleeing Ukraine who receive immediate, temporary status and rights. BOTPs have immediate, unrestricted access to the labour market, social welfare, and housing, while IPAs face restricted employment access.
An asylum seeker is a person who has left their home country, crossed an international border, and is seeking recognition as a refugee, while a refugee is someone whose claim has been officially approved and recognized, granting them legal protection. Every refugee starts as an asylum seeker, but not every asylum seeker is approved for refugee status.
“Current occupancy rates in accommodation centres in the county,” the OCC meeting was told, “stand at 712 BOTPs and 507 International Protection Applicants. Inchmore House in Clara continues to be contracted with the Department of Justice, Migration and Home Affairs as a Designated Accommodation Centre (DAC), since September, to provide accommodation for newly arrived BOTPs into the country.”
From March 2024 to 10th November 2025 those fleeing the war in Ukraine and seeking temporary protection in Ireland were provided with a maximum of 90 days state accommodation in a DAC. However, since 10th November new arrivals to Ireland will now receive 30 days state accommodation and after the 30 days has expired BOTPs must still make their own accommodation arrangements.
The first arrivals to Inchmore House under the revised 30 day policy came in November 2025. A number of the residents saw their time in Inchmore House expire in December and left the centre after that.
“To date,” the meeting was told, “the DAC at Inchmore House has operated successfully with a current occupancy of 41 (capacity is 230). Over 300 previous occupants have moved out and sourced their own accommodation. In some cases they have moved to another EU state or returned to Ukraine. The Integration Team holds a weekly clinic in the centre to assist with the residents' basic requirements such as information about English language classes, accessing employment supports and healthcare as well as providing information on sourcing private accommodation. Local stakeholders such as Offaly Local Development Company, Offaly Volunteer Centre, Offaly Sports Partnership and Clare Family Resource Centre also provide supports and services. The Irish Red Cross and International Organisation for Migration visit the centre regularly to provide orientation sessions to new arrivals on life in Ireland as well as support with sourcing accommodation. As Ukrainian refugees continue to arrive in Ireland and are granted temporary protection, it is expected new residents will arrive to the centre in the near future.
“The Housing Team with the assistance of the Integration Team will meet both the Housing and Integration needs of 82 refugees over the coming 18 months in line with Government Policy.”

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