Applications for international protection already above expectations for full year

The elimination of the direct provision system is one of the key targets for the Department of Children. Picture: Larry Cummins

More people have applied for international protection in Ireland in the first five months of this year than had been expected for the whole of 2022.

Some 4,500 people have applied for protection here since January 1, against a projected estimate of 3,500, meaning that applicants have outstripped predictions by almost 30% in the first five months of the year alone.