Total immigration figures fall as work permits and asylum numbers rise – report

An estimated 125,300 people arrived in Ireland in the year to April.

There has been a drop in overall immigration numbers in Ireland despite a 40% increase in asylum applications and a 27% increase in work permits last year.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has analysed new data and policies to give an overview of the migration landscape in Ireland.

The report found a 16% drop in immigration in the year to April compared with the previous year, with an estimated 125,300 people arriving in Ireland during that period.

"This decrease likely reflects the decreased number of arrivals from Ukraine in the year to April 2025," it said.

"The CSO estimates that emigration also decreased slightly, with 65,600 people departing from the State, a decrease of 6.2% compared with the same period in 2024."

A total of 18,561 applications for international protection were made in 2024, according to the International Protection Office (IPO), representing a 40% increase from 2023.

The ESRI said 70% of the 13,108 decisions made by IPO were refusals, with 35% positive decisions on an appeal or review in 2024.

Despite a 56% increase in the number of decisions made by the IPO in 2024 compared with the previous year, the median processing time for completed cases was 16 months.

There was also a significant backlog of appeals in 2024, which saw a 148% increase at the end of the year compared with the end of 2023.

There was a 71% drop in arrivals from Ukraine compared to the previous year, with 9,558 PPSNs allocated in 2024.

Last year also saw a 17% increase in unaccompanied minors referred to Tusla, to 619, with 209 of these from Ukraine.

Almost 6,000 asylum seekers were not offered accommodation on arrival in Ireland in 2024. The State has published a strategy on how to scale up accommodation following legal action launched by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.

Ireland has also opted in to seven pieces of legislation under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum in 2024, which will come into force in June 2026, and indicated it would also align with the pieces of legislation under the pact it cannot opt into.

There was a 153% increase in deportations enforced in 2024 compared with 2023, a continued recovery from decreases during the covid-19 pandemic.

The number of people refused entry at the border also fell by 7% in 2024, and 67 people were identified as victims of trafficking in 2024.