The Government has lifted a restriction which had blocked nursing homes from being repurposed for refugee accommodation.
However, under the new rules the properties will face a two-year wait before they can be used for international protection applicants or people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
At present if a nursing home decides to close, it has to give residents and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) six months' notice of their intention to shut.
Once they have closed, they will have to wait a further 18 months for a cooling-off period before they can be used to house refugees.
In recent months, the Government noticed a trend of the homes closing to be repurposed for refugee accommodation.
Ministers decided to make nursing home ineligible as locations for refugee accommodation while they conducted a review, as there were concerns that the switch away from nursing homes could add to existing problems in the sector.
In a letter, first reported in the Irish Independent, Minister for State Mary Butler, who has responsibility for Older People, wrote to Minister for Integration Roderic O'Gorman informing him that former nursing homes would now be able to accept refugees.
However, the nursing homes will only be able to do this 18 months after the six-month notice period has expired or effectively after two years.
