Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 January 2026
143. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of international protection applicants that have been granted international protection status, by the country the applicants are from in 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6950/26]
View answer144. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of international protection applicants that have been refused international protection status, by the country the applicants are from in 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6951/26]
View answer145. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of international protection applicants that have been refused international protection status in 2023, 2024 and 2025, that are currently under appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6952/26]
View answer146. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the number of international protection applicants that are currently awaiting a decision on whether they have been granted international protection status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6953/26]
View answer147. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding the average length of time an international protection applicant had to wait to get a decision on their application in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6954/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 143 to 147, inclusive, together.
There 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 2025, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 20,200 first decisions compared to approximately 14,100 in 2024: a 44% increase. The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) more than doubled the number of appeals closed from 3,100 in 2024 to nearly 6,300 in 2025.
Ireland has opted in to the EU Asylum and Migration Pact which will come into effect in June this year. The Pact will provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure. This will be achieved through convergence in asylum practices across the EU, and through the introduction of streamlined and faster processing times.
To prepare for its introduction, a phased transition that mirrors elements of the Pact is currently underway. As of January 8, there were 839 applications, and 623 decisions, with 541 or 87% being refused. These refusals have resulted in 190 DOs being signed, and 24 voluntary returns confirmed so far.
The average processing time from when an application is lodged to a first-instance decision is 29 days. From application to appeal decision it is 50 days and from application to having a signed Deportation Order it is 59 days.
This represents a significant shift from the current median processing times in the IPO and IPAT.
The table below details IPO first instance median processing time in months from 2023 to 2025.
|
IPO First Instance Median Processing Time in Months |
|
|
2023 |
13 |
|
2024 |
16 |
|
2025 |
14 |
The table below details IPAT median processing time in months from 2023 to 2025.
|
IPAT Median Processing Time in Months |
|
|
2023 |
5.5 |
|
2024 |
10 |
|
2025 |
12.5 |
The table below details first instance decisions made in the IPO from 2023 – 2025. My Department does not provide detailed statistics on international protection grant and refusal rates by nationality. Please note that there is not a direct correlation between the year an application was made and the year the decision issued.
|
First instance decisions |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Granted (RS, SP, PTR) |
3,236 36.73% |
3,909 27.80% |
3,744 18.50% |
|
Refused / withdrew / inadmissible |
5,574 63.27% |
10,151 72.20% |
16,497 81.50% |
The table below details applications pending at different stages of the international protection process at 21 January 2026. Currently less than 2% of pending cases are over three years old.
|
International Protection Applications Pending |
|
|
IPO - International Protection Office |
14,998 |
|
IPAT - International Protection Appeals Tribunal |
18,793 |
|
PTRR - Permission to Remain Review |
838 |
|
MDU - Ministerial Decision Unit |
99 |
|
Total* |
34,728 |
*To COB 21 January 2026.
All data provided is correct at time of issue and may be subject to data cleansing.
