Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
569. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the average processing time of applications for international protection in the years 2020 to date in 2025, by quarter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73682/25]
View answerThere has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system which, combined with digitisation and process re-engineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity.
In 2024, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 14,000 first decisions compared to over 8,500 in 2023, while the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed around 3,100 appeals in 2024 compared to over 1,700 in 2023.
In 2025, to the end of November, there has been a 44% increase in the total number of first instance decisions made when compared to the same period in 2024. The IPAT has also increased the number of appeals completed to date in 2025 by 84% over the full year figure for 2024.
The following table shows the overall median processing time in months of applications for international protection in the years 2020 to 12 December 2025, by quarter.
|
Year |
Quarter |
Median |
|
2020 |
Qtr 1 |
16 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 2 |
17 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 3 |
19 |
|
2020 |
Qtr 4 |
20 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 1 |
22 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 2 |
27 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 3 |
23 |
|
2021 |
Qtr 4 |
22 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 1 |
26 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 2 |
22 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 3 |
13 |
|
2022 |
Qtr 4 |
9 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 1 |
10 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 2 |
12 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 3 |
14 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 4 |
16 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 1 |
16 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 2 |
17 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 3 |
15 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 4 |
15 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 1 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 2 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 3 |
14 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 4* |
14 |
*up to 12 December 2025
Accelerated processing was introduced in November 2022, and it now applies to those from designated safe countries of origin, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe and those from a country with a particularly high number of applications.
The following table shows the median processing time in months of applications for international protection under the accelerated procedure in the years 2022 to date in 2025, by quarter.
|
Accelerated Procedure |
|
|
|
Year |
Quarter |
Median |
|
2022 |
Qtr 4 |
1 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 1 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 2 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 3 |
2 |
|
2023 |
Qtr 4 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 1 |
3 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 2 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 3 |
2 |
|
2024 |
Qtr 4 |
3 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 1 |
4 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 2 |
4 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 3 |
3 |
|
2025 |
Qtr 4* |
2 |
* up to 12 December 2025
All IPO first instance decisions other than Refugee Status grants can be appealed to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT).
The following table shows International Protection Appeals Tribunal median processing times in months for each quarter from 2020 to Q3 2025.
|
Year |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
|
2020 |
6 |
9 |
11 |
12 |
|
2021 |
15 |
16 |
13 |
14 |
|
2022 |
15 |
13 |
10 |
4 |
|
2023 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
|
2024 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
13 |
|
2025 |
15 |
16 |
16 |
- |
Please note figures are correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.
My Department also continues to focus on preparing for the EU Migration and Asylum Pact in advance of June 2026. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU.
On 1 July, my Department introduced the first phase of a gradual transition to a new accelerated, end-to-end process for applicants entering the international protection system in Ireland. This new accelerated process mirrors elements of the future border procedure and screening required by the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum while still adhering to the existing International Protection Act 2015.
The new process is designed to enable testing of new border procedure timelines that will be required as part of the EU Pact requirements in June 2026. The border procedure allows 12 weeks to first and second-instance decisions and a further 12 weeks to return for those who receive negative decisions.
This first transition phase focused on accelerating the processing of applicants from three designated safe countries of origin: Georgia, India and Brazil. It also introduced elements of the future required screening process under the EU Pact.
During the initial three months of the transition, a total of 366 applicants were processed under these shorter timelines. While it is too soon to measure the six months total timeline permitted, the timeline of 12 weeks for first and second instance decision was achieved. This represents a significant shift from the current median processing times in the IPO and IPAT, and hence a significant reduction in costs for accommodation and other supports.
Phase two of the transition is currently underway, having launched on October 8, 2025 with the addition of the remaining 12 designated safe countries of origin. The impacts and learnings from expanding the transition will become clearer over the coming months.
