The indicative cost for processing a standard procedure international protection application and supporting an applicant through this process is approximately €122,000 per person.
This figure is based on 2024 applicant data, when the average processing time was 29 months to reach a second-instance decision. This comprises 18 months to first-instance decision for those in the standard procedure, with a median processing time for all cases in appeals of 11 months.
The €122,000 figure reflects the combined costs borne by the key stakeholders, including IPAS, Department of Social Protection, HSE, Department of Education, Tusla, An Garda Síochána (GNIB), Department of Justice Home and Affairs.
The estimate covers, but is not limited to, expenses such as: average costs of accommodation (including food), social protection, health care, education, international protection process cost, and international protection appeals tribunal costs.
The analysis undertaken does not allow for a detailed breakdown of costs per stage of the process.
