IRISH attitudes towards immigrants are changing for the better but the recession is making integration more difficult, the head of the Refugee Information Service has warned.

IRELAND still lags behind most of Europe regarding refugee family reunification, according to a new report, while a top UN official warned against demonising immigrants during the recession.

ONE of the country’s leading migrant support groups called on the Government yesterday to introduce a raft of changes to its immigration policy which is keeping families apart.

INTEGRATION Minister Conor Lenihan recently indicated the need for a sustained and deliberate process of integration.

THE economy could not support an open door immigration policy, the leader of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said yesterday.