Practical support for migrant people living in Ireland

Find resources and supports to meet your basic needs.

Factsheet

Fact checked by experts and reviewed by young people.

Written by: spunout

Last Updated: Jun-23-25

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It is normal to feel stressed, low or anxious from time to time, especially when arriving in and trying to navigate an unfamiliar place. Big changes can bring new opportunities, but it can also take time to secure a home, build connections, and understand how everything works. Getting practical support can help if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

This article brings together up-to-date, reliable information to help you meet your basic needs in one place. You’ll find information that covers:

Housing
Employment
Social welfare payments
Accessing support for domestic violence
Accessing support for an unplanned pregnancy
Getting support from a mental health professional

Getting practical support with meeting your basic needs

Not having access to appropriate information and support to meet your basic needs can be really difficult. It is normal to feel stressed and anxious if you are facing:

Poor living conditions
Difficulties finding accommodation or a place to rent
Poor working conditions and/or exploitation at work
Unemployment and difficulties finding work
Difficulties finding affordable childcare
Difficulties accessing education and development opportunities
Difficulties obtaining social welfare payments
Uncertainty around work permits and legal status (international protection application)

Challenges like these can trigger lots of different emotions, from sadness and fear to anger and even numbness. It can be helpful to remind yourself that you are not alone and that it is okay to feel the way you do.

Finding reliable information and support with addressing some of these practical challenges may help you to feel less stressed, anxious, or low. Below you will find links to some articles providing information on managing difficulties with housing, employment, and education all in one place.

Accessing practical support for domestic violence

Experiencing abuse in your relationships, such as harmful actions or threats, can lead to feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety and shame. You may blame yourself for difficulties in your relationship or feel afraid to reach out for support in case the person causing the abuse finds out.

Domestic abuse, also known as domestic violence or intimate partner abuse, is any incident or pattern of behaviour used to threaten, control, or intimidate a current or former intimate partner or someone living in the same household. If domestic abuse or other types of relationship harm are contributing to your feelings of sadness, anxiety or stress, it is important to reach out for professional support.

Read more about the different types of abuse. Find out more information on how to safely access support for domestic violence in our article on domestic violence.

Accessing support for an unplanned pregnancy

HSE unplanned pregnancy support services are free and confidential. The My Options freephone helpline can provide you with information and support on all your options. This includes information on abortion services and continued pregnancy supports.

Interpreters can be provided in 240 languages. Getting access to an interpreter is simple and involves the following three steps:

Freephone 1800 828 010.
You or someone on your behalf will need to say what language you speak and give a phone number.
An interpreter will then phone you back for a 3-way call between you, a MyOptions counsellor and the interpreter.

Getting support from a mental health professional

Different cultures relate to mental health in different ways. You can read more about what most mental health professionals in Ireland mean by “mental health” in our article on mental health as a spectrum and the HSE’s yourmentalhealth.ie (information provided in English). Cairde, an organisation providing health advocacy and information services, also provides a Mental Health Guide for Ethnic Minorities in Ireland in a range of languages.

It’s possible you are wondering whether seeing a mental health professional could be helpful to you. Asking yourself the following questions may help you to reach a decision that’s best for you:

How much is your distress affecting your ability to go about your day-to-day activities?
How long have you felt anxious or stressed?
Are you in contact with people that you trust who can listen to you and support you?
Do you regularly hurt yourself on purpose?
Do you feel like your life is not worth living?

If you’ve been feeling low, anxious, or stressed for more than two weeks — and it’s starting to interfere with your day-to-day life — it’s a good idea to reach out for support. Talking to a trusted adult or a mental health professional can really help.

If there’s no one you feel safe talking to right now, and you answered yes to questions 4 or 5, it’s especially important to seek support from a mental health professional. Your GP (doctor) is usually the first person you can speak to about how you’re feeling.

You can find more guidance in our article on how to talk to your GP about your mental health. If you’ve recently moved to Ireland, our article on accessing Irish mental health services as a migrant person can help you figure out what your options are.

Reaching out to someone you trust for practical support

If your emotional distress is not substantially affecting your day-to-day life and you have a good support network, you might consider reaching out to a trusted friend, family member or other community member for support. Not everyone feels comfortable reaching out to a professional for emotional support, and that’s okay.

Talking about how you feel with someone close to you can help you to resource yourself and find ways of coping with life difficulties.

If you are feeling nervous or afraid of reaching out in this way, you can find tips in our article on opening up to someone about your mental health.

For more information on accessing the health service, read our factsheet on getting mental health support as a migrant person.

Need more information, advice or guidance?

We offer information, advice and guidance about the issues that matter to you. Our online Youth Information Chat service is for 16 to 25 year olds and is available Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

Practical support for migrant people living in Ireland

Factsheet

Fact checked by experts and reviewed by young people.

Getting practical support with meeting your basic needs

Information on housing

Information on employment

Information on transport

Information on your rights

Information on immigration and citizenship

Information on money management

Information on building relationships

Information on social welfare payments

Living undocumented

Accessing practical support for domestic violence

Accessing support for an unplanned pregnancy

Getting support from a mental health professional

Reaching out to someone you trust for practical support

Need more information, advice or guidance?

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