Economic migrants are also excluded. Certain groups of refugees are invited to the State by the government. These are known as programme refugees and examples are the Hungarian refugees that came to Ireland in 1956, the Vietnamese and Chileans in the 1970's and people from the former Yugoslavia in the 1990's. Programme refugees have a clear set of rights that attach immediately upon their admittance to the country. These rights include the right to work, education, housing and social welfare.
Most asylum seekers travel independently to Ireland to seek protection.
Asylum seekers often travel with legal documents, such as a tourist or work visa. Alternatively, they may travel with false documentation, or none at all. People may claim asylum at any stage of their stay in Ireland. Normally, asylum is asked for at the first available opportunity, such as at a port or airport. Alternatively, a person may make an in-country claim for asylum during their stay as, for example, a visitor.