The report shows that 13,160 people applied for international protection last year, of which there were positive outcomes for over 3,700 applicants.<\/p>\n
Throughout 2025, the median processing time for first instance decisions was approximately 17 months which was a slight decrease compared with the previous reporting period (18 months for all applications under the ordinary procedure).<\/p>\n
Appeals remained a major challenge, with 15,334 lodged during the year, contributing to a growing backlog which reached almost 20,000.<\/p>\n
In response, the European Union Asylum Agency agreed to provide additional staff to support the International Protection Appeals Tribunal until the end of 2026.<\/p>\n
At the same time, deportation orders reached more than 4,400 compared with approximately 2,400 the previous year.<\/p>\n
Chartered deportation flights removed more than 200 individuals from the State and the Government also introduced enhanced financial incentives for voluntary return.<\/p>\n
![\"Empty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/00248bc3-614.jpg\"\/)
\nChartered deportation flights removed more than 200 people from the State (stock pic)<\/p>\n
This meant that asylum applicants who withdrew their claims and returned to their country of origin could receive significantly higher reintegration payments.<\/p>\n
Accommodation shortages remain an issue – report<\/p>\n
The report highlights how accommodation shortages remained an issue throughout the year with many newly arrived single male applicants being forced to sleep rough due to a lack of accommodation, resulting in legal challenges.<\/p>\n
The European Court of Justice examined whether the State had failed to meet its obligations under EU law by not providing adequate reception conditions and found that a failure to provide basic accommodation and support could amount to a serious breach.<\/p>\n
The report has also highlighted a change in citizenship and family reunification rules, including a requirement on refugees seeking family reunification to demonstrate sufficient income and accommodation.<\/p>\n
In addition, it notes the reinstatement of powers allowing the State to revoke naturalised Irish citizenship in serious cases, following legal reforms designed to address concerns raised by the courts.<\/p>\n
When it comes to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, more than 121,000 individuals had registered for temporary protection in Ireland by early 2026 according to the report.<\/p>\n
![\"Ukrainian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0022b78b-614.jpg\"\/)
\nMore than 121,000 Ukrainians had registered for temporary protection in Ireland by early 2026 (file pic)<\/p>\n
While temporary protection was extended until March 2027, the Government announced plans to gradually reduce accommodation supports and phase out payments to households hosting Ukrainian refugees.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) reiterated concern over “the significant increase in deportation orders, the expansion of accelerated procedures, limiting access to asylum, family reunification and citizenship”.<\/p>\n
It said it signals a shift towards a more restrictive approach to protection.<\/p>\n
CEO Nick Henderson said: “We are very concerned that these changes are at the expense of fairness, due process, or the rights of people fleeing persecution and conflict.”<\/p>\n
“While the number of people seeking international protection in Ireland fell in 2025, the year was marked by a continued failure to ensure that everyone seeking safety has access to basic accommodation and dignified reception conditions.<\/p>\n
“Many single men continued to experience homelessness after seeking protection in the State. No person seeking refuge should be forced to sleep rough to demonstrate a need for accommodation,” he said.<\/p>\n
The IRC added that as the EU Migration and Asylum Pact is implemented, “it is essential that efficiency is not pursued at the expense of rights”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The number of international protection applications in Ireland fell by 29% last year compared to 2024, according to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-539369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}