Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 November 2025
802. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visas issued to nationals of South Africa since the introduction of visa requirements in July 2024, by visa category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63688/25]
View answer803. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visa applications from nationals of South Africa that have been received, granted and refused since July 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63689/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 802 and 803 together.
I can advise the Deputy that on 10 July 2024 visa requirements were introduced for nationals of South Africa, bringing our arrangements into alignment with the visa requirements of Schengen members states, and with those of the UK.
The Dublin Visa Office have established a dedicated “South Africa Desk” to process applications from residents of South Africa. My Department also established Visa Application Centres, located throughout South Africa, with visa service provider VFS Global. This is to ensure the facilitation of legitimate travel with processes that are robust, effective, and fair.
Since July 2024 to date, over 18,800 applications of all types have been received by the South African Desk and over 17,500 decisions have issued with a grant rate of over 93% in respect of applications where a decision has been made.
Table 1 below details the total number of visa applications from nationals of South Africa that have been received, granted and refused from 10 July 2024, up to 10 November 2025.
Table 1
|
Status |
2024 |
2025 (up to 10 November) |
Total |
|
Received |
6,948 |
11,946 |
18,894 |
|
Granted |
5,850 |
10,597 |
16,447 |
|
Refused |
401 |
731 |
1,132 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
** A decision made in a particular year may relate to an application received in a previous month.
Table 2 below details the number of visas granted to nationals of South Africa by visa category from 10 July 2024 up to 10 November 2025.
Table 2
|
Visa Category |
Total granted |
|
Visit |
11,851 |
|
Business/conference |
1,963 |
|
Employment |
1,031 |
|
Performance/tournament |
728 |
|
Join Family |
454 |
|
Study |
105 |
|
Other |
315 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
The South Africa Desk publishes guidance for applicants, target processing times and weekly decision reports, at the following webpage:
www.irishimmigration.ie/south-africa-visa-desk/
Any applicant can now directly check the status of their visa application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service portal. They can register for, or log in to their existing account, at
https://portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/
