New asylum contract for minors agreed as EU migration rules come into effect

A management services company that houses refugees has secured a contract to provide staff to respond to the arrival of unaccompanied minors at the State’s ports and airports as new EU migration and asylum rules come into effect. AllPro Services – which received €24.2 million for providing accommodation for international protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees last year, according to figures supplied to the Committee of Public Accounts – will oversee the process. The EU migration pact comes in on Friday via the International Protection Act 2026. Under the new rules, a State representative will be at a port of entry in the Republic within one hour of an unaccompanied minor being reported. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice confirmed AllPro was “identified as the strongest applicant”, noting the company had previously overseen a response to emergency welfare presentations involving underage homeless individuals and vulnerable young people. “AllPro Services have indicated that they can provide coverage for the entire country, with a representative capable of being present at a port of entry within 60 minutes of being notified of an Unaccompanied Minor being present,” noted a statement from the department. As was the case under previous legislation, any unaccompanied minors will be referred to Tusla for support and accommodation. It is not clear how many people will be hired as representatives. But staff are said to be “in place” for when the pact comes into effect on Friday “and others are currently being recruited”. All representatives will be “will hold the necessary qualifications and be appropriately Garda vetted”, ran the statement. “As per the information provided to those applying to fulfil the role, AllPro must ensure that they meet the standards that the department has set.” The Irish Times has contacted AllPro for comment. The key roles of the representatives will include “ensuring that the child’s best interests, welfare, dignity and rights are central to all actions taken” during the application process, according to an for the position. The salary starts at €40,000 a year. Staff are required to “meet with the child, listen to their views, and take those views into account in a manner appropriate to the child’s age, development, communication needs and individual circumstances”. The representative is also expected to “support the child to understand the purpose and possible consequences of key stages in the process” and “ensure that the child is supported to make informed decisions”. The EU pact aims to create a common migration process across the 27 member states and speed up the application process.