Our origins

We are one of the projects of Crosscare, the social support agency of the Dublin Catholic Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has provided different types of support to emigrants since the 1940s.  In 1987, in response to the increased numbers of people leaving Ireland in the 1980s, we were established as ‘Emigrant Advice’ and opened our city centre office on Cathedral Street, Dublin 1.

Originally, we worked with Irish people intending to emigrate. Since the early 2000s, our work expanded to include emigrants who are returning home as well as new migrants coming to Ireland. Our service is open to anyone, but we pay particular attention to supporting those who are marginalised or in vulnerable situations. We work closely with Crosscare’s homeless and community support projects to provide a wide-range of supports to those using our service.

In 2023, Crosscare Irish Diaspora Support project was officially launched, taking on sole responsibility for our work with Ireland’s diaspora, both emigrating and returning. See www.diasporasupport.ie

Crosscare Migrant Project now works in the area of immigration in Ireland, focussing on residency, citizenship, family visas and related issues.

Our mission

We are aligned with Crosscare’s vision of a society where all people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and Crosscare’s core values of love, respect and excellence.  Our mission is to help those most in need regardless of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, beliefs or sexual identity.

We aim to provide a quality information and advocacy service to enable people involved in a migration experience, especially those in vulnerable circumstances, make informed choices and access their rights. We also aim, through our engagement with the people who use our service and in collaboration with others, to effect positive change in migration related policy