Migrant workers with employment permits are only entitled to change employers and move if their new employer has obtained an employment permit for them. Migrant workers with work authorisations or visas may change their employment but must remain in the same sector. These rules may have some effect on the migrant workers freedom of movement in the State Territory.

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Migrant workers with employment permits are only entitled to change employers and move if their new employer has obtained an employment permit for them. Migrant workers with work authorisations or visas may change their employment but must remain in the same sector. These rules may have some effect on the migrant workers freedom of movement in the State Territory.

Refugees and persons granted Leave to Remain have freedom of movement within the State. However, asylum seekers are restricted in terms of their place of accommodation. The Refugee Act 1996, section 9, states that the Minister may by notice in writing require an asylum applicant to reside or remain in a particular District of Ireland or report at regular intervals to an Immigration Officer or to the Police. Asylum seekers are in practice required to reside in designated regional centres, which may be in a number of places around the Republic of Ireland, and are not allowed to look for other private accommodation while their application for refugee status is being processed. If asylum seekers are absent from the accommodation in the regional centre for more than three nights they are considered to have abandoned their place and this is taken as an indication that they do not wish to receive aid or assistance from the Directorate for Asylum Support. Therefore those people applying for Asylum that attempt to choose their own place of residence, for example with friends or family would not be entitled to any support from the Directorate as support is only provided in designated regional centres. Asylum seekers may not leave this accommodation for more than two nights, therefore they would have limited freedom of movement for these short lengths of time.

Analysis provided by: Anisa Niaz LLM (Public Law), United Kingdom.

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