ieExplains: How will International Protection Bill affect immigration? 

The Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on Tuesday brought a new bill to Cabinet which will see changes in how Ireland's immigration system works. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan on Tuesday brought a new bill to Cabinet which will see changes in how Ireland's immigration system works.

The International Protection Bill 2025 sets out to implement an accelerated processing system for those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe, citizens of countries from which there are the largest number of applicants, and countries which have already seen numbers applying for asylum here dropping.

First things first, why do we need this?

The bill is, in part, needed to prepare Ireland's legislative framework for the incoming EU Migration Pact. The pact is a new EU framework to manage migration and asylum for the long-term. One of its key aims is to improve burden-sharing of asylum applications across the EU, due to some member states receiving a disproportionate number of international protection applicants. 

Ireland would be required to either relocate asylum seekers from other countries, or make a financial contribution to an EU-wide fund. Ireland could pay up to €13m into the EU fund instead of taking in 648 asylum seekers every year.

Effectively, the pact wants the EU's laws to be in convergence and to speed up the processing of asylum applications. Ireland opted into the pact last year and it will come into effect next June, by when Ireland needs to have its laws in place.

So what will change under this law?

Given the focus of the pact, much of the headline changes to the system will focus on cutting processing times, particularly from countries which are considered "safe".

How does it aim to do this?

The new law aims to tackle long turnaround times in the current system in a number of ways. Firstly, it will make it unlawful if a decision is not made on an asylum application within three months for most cases. The three-month decision deadline will apply if a person has no documents, poses a security risk or is from a country where approvals are less than 20%. Other more complex cases will have a deadline of six months.

It will also remove the use of oral hearings for appeals in most cases, with appeals set to go to what is being dubbed a "second instance body".

Under the new laws, officers in the system will be able to directly issue decisions on international protection and returns — rather than recommendations.

Does the legislation mean detention centres?

While the legislation allows for detention centres, Mr O'Callaghan said he doesn't believe they will be used. He has, however, foreseen the use of so-called "screening centres" which are envisaged to be used as a "one stop shop" to register and lodge applications, complete relevant checks, determine the appropriate pathway for applicants, and to provide legal counselling.

What are the stats on applications this year?

Overall, there has been a drop of 42% in the number of applications in the first three months of 2025 when compared to the first three months of 2024.

What has the Minister said?

Mr O'Callaghan said his plans are not cruel and, in fact, sensible.

“At present, you’ll be aware that the process of people applying for asylum and appealing any decisions at the international protection office can take up to three years. It’s too long, it’s too costly, it’s unfair on the people who are going through the process. What I want to do is to achieve a much smoother and less costly process,” he said.

What has the opposition reaction been?

The Social Democrats' spokesperson Gary Gannon said the law "prioritises bureaucratic speed over human fairness" and said the Government is "chasing headlines".

“We’re all in agreement that Ireland needs a far more efficient asylum process, but that doesn’t mean it should have cruelty baked in," he said.

“This legislation is not about fixing what is broken - it is about chasing headlines, caving to far-right pressure, and abandoning our obligations to basic fairness and human rights."

What happens next?

The bill will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny over the next few months and will be published in full in November.