They're not undocumented. But they can't prove it right now.

Ayyoub Ismaeel was in the passenger seat of a car when cops sidled up to it recently, he said. “They just stood beside the car and said, ‘Give me an ID’,” said Ismaeel. 

But not just any ID. They wanted proof that he was not undocumented, he said. 

Ismaeel, who has appealed an initial rejection on his asylum claim, has been waiting on its outcome for 16 months, he said. 

So, on paper, he should be able to show that he has the right to live here while it’s pending.

But Ismaeel has also been waiting on the International Protection Office (IPO) to renew his out-of-date asylum card – formally known as the Temporary Residence Certificate (TRC) – for nearly a year now.

“I applied in September last year”, he said.

Emails show that he’d followed up with the IPO twice, most recently on 7 July of this year, when he forwarded the original renewal email from September 2025 to its TRC reactivation unit again.

But he didn’t hear back, Ismaeel said.

That day, when officers approached him in a car, Ismaeel showed them a photo of his expired asylum card on his phone, he said. But they wouldn’t relent.

“They said, ‘We should bring you to the Garda station to do some processing to be sure you have no criminal history,’ and they want to be sure about my identification,” said Ismaeel.

After all that, they let him go, but it was a pain, he said.

Failure to present a passport or immigration permission to government officials on demand is a criminal offence, under Section 12 of the Immigration Act 2004.

Police can ask to see documentation during stop and searches, but that's not the only situation when those seeking asylum may be asked to show it. Those with permission to work need it to keep their jobs or take up new ones, too.

Khaled Alzubaidi said he had a decent job offer recently but it hinged on showing a fresh TRC, which he couldn’t do. “But my work permit is up to date."

Alzubaidi, who said he’s homeless, had pinned his hopes on getting that job to be able to afford rent. He’s been waiting to get his TRC renewed for five months, he said. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said that “TRC renewals are currently taking longer than normal to process”. They did not say how big the backlog was.  

Living precariously 

The Department of Justice has come up with an “exceptional” support measure so people aren’t left unable to renew their work permits, too, said its spokesperson.  

From 18 August to 27 November, its “Labour Market Access Unit” will accept proof of application to renew a TRC, and process work permit renewal requests on its back. 

“Acceptable evidence includes the email confirmation received in response to a TRC renewal application,” they said.

Lucky Khambule, of the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland (MASI), said the problem is that some members say they haven’t gotten that confirmation email.

The special process doesn't aid people like Alzubaidi, whose work permits are still valid, either. He can’t get a job without having his asylum card and work permit together, he said.

It doesn't help Ismaeel either, who is not allowed to work because his asylum case was processed and rejected before he could qualify for a work permit, he said. 

When applicants are rejected within five months of applying, they don't get the right to work. It can leave them grappling with poverty, if they decide to appeal that first decision. 

It’s unclear if people can use proof of TRC renewal applications to keep working if their work permits still stand. Though, not all employers would accept it.

Muath Nsairat said he sent his completed TRC renewal form to the IPO “more than once”. His asylum card expired in early May. 

He’s also in the appeal phase of the asylum process. His case will be heard in two weeks, said Nsairat, last week.

Nsairat needs a new asylum card because “it’s my work and everything”, he said.

He’s watched some get their cards renewed quickly and that has compounded his frustration. “How come most people get cards and I don’t?”

Ifeoma Igbonoba, who applied to renew her TRC in April, said she’s at risk of losing her job, and there hasn’t been any clear communication about what people in her situation can do. 

Igbonoba did hear back from the IPO at one point in May about a backlog prompted by “paper card printer” issues, she said.

Though these delays have impacted people who have applied already like Igbonoba, the Department of Justice spokesperson said it won’t be a problem going forward. 

It has recently rolled out a digital asylum card, they said.

It’s called International Protection Applicant Certificate (IPA Cert) and would replace TRCs, the spokesperson said.

It will be issued immediately after someone lodges a new case and will stay valid “for the duration of their asylum claim”, they said.

People can download the new IPA Cert right away, save it on their phones or add it to digital wallets, the spokesperson said. 

“This prevents loss of a paper or plastic card and ensures instant access for stakeholders and the holder,” they said

It needs to be updated more frequently than the current TRCs, though, to account for changes to people’s rights as their asylum case progresses, the spokesperson said.

What have I got?

In the meantime, though, these processing delays put people’s lives on hold whether they’re in the asylum system or immigrants on different kinds of immigration permissions. 

The Department of Justice has also struggled to renew applications for non-asylum residence permit cards in good time, in recent months.

Both Ismaeel and Igbonoba said they’re also unable to pick up their driving licences despite passing the driving test because they don’t have solid proof to show that they’re not undocumented. 

Ismaeel said he is also homeless after refusing two offers of accommodations from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS). Once because of poor living conditions and overcrowding that could worsen his respiratory disease, he said.

The other time because of distance to Dublin where his doctors and support networks are, Ismaeel said.

He sleeps on friends’ couches and he’s lucky to have them, he said. All he wanted was a new asylum card and he couldn’t get that either, he said.

Igbonoba said the wait is pressing on her mind, her life divided into before and after she had her asylum card. “You can’t leave people in limbo. I don’t know. It’s sad,” she said.