Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC)
Applications for asylum in Ireland are made to the ORAC and once you have made an application you will be issued with a temporary residence certificate.
The ORAC will issue you with an information pack after you make an application for asylum.
The ORAC will then interview you. At this stage you are entitled to submit any documentation or make any representations to the ORAC that you feel are relevant to your application and it is important to note that an applicant may be called in for more than one interview.
During the course of the interview the ORAC Investigating Officer will usually rely on country of origin information and such information will be included in his final report.
It is important to stress that an applicant has to be proactive in the asylum process and if you fail to attend your interview and fail to give a reasonable explanation for your non attendance within three working days your application will be deemed to have been withdrawn.
Also, you are obliged to co-operate with the ORAC at all times throughout the process and failure to do so may result in the termination of the application or it may be deemed withdrawn. An example of non compliance is failing to inform the ORAC of any changes in your address during the process.
The ORAC will then send you a letter containing a report advising you of their decision. It is important to note that a very small percentage of applicants receive a positive recommendation at the ORAC stage and if you fail you will be issued with a letter advising you of your right to appeal to the Refugees Appeals Tribunal.
NB There is no right of appeal against a recommendation where an application has been deemed to have been withdrawn.
