Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
368. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of visa applications processed and approved on a weekly basis; if he will provide a breakdown of approvals by category including family reunification, employment, study, and other categories, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31594/26]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that my Department currently operates seven overseas Visa Offices in addition to the Visa Office in Dublin. These are located in Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow, Ankara, Abu Dhabi and New Delhi. In addition, staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade process certain visa applications in Irish Embassies abroad under delegated authority from my Department.
In 2025, approximately 206,000 visa applications, of all types, were received by the Visa Division of my Department. This reflects an increase of 2% compared to 2024, with over 3,900 additional applications received. This follows a 21% increase in applications in 2024 compared to 2023. In the first three months of 2026, my Department's Visa Division received approximately 43,000 visa applications and has issued almost 36,000 decisions.
Processing times and decisions at the Dublin Visa Office and the Overseas Visa Offices can be checked at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-decisions/
I can advise the Deputy that statistics are not available on a weekly basis as requested. However, the numbers of visa applications granted and refused are provided in the tables below on a monthly basis.
Table 1. Type C Short Stay and Type D Long Stay Study Visas
|
Period |
Granted (at first instance) |
Refused (at first instance) |
|
Jan-26 |
1,132 |
1,085 |
|
Feb-26 |
175 |
515 |
|
Mar-26 |
347 |
663 |
|
April 2026 (01.04 - 24.04) |
203 |
446 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular month may relate to an application received in a previous year.
* Higher figures in January reflect the seasonal peak linked to academic intake
Table 2. Employment and Employment/Scientific Researcher Visas
|
Period |
Granted (at first instance) |
Refused (at first instance) |
|
Jan-26 |
971 |
155 |
|
Feb-26 |
1,105 |
201 |
|
Mar-26 |
1,096 |
221 |
|
April 2026 (01.04 - 24.04) |
735 |
185 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular month may relate to an application received in a previous year.
Table 3. Join Family Visas
|
Period |
Granted (at first instance) |
Refused (at first instance) |
|
Jan-26 |
579 |
89 |
|
Feb-26 |
493 |
74 |
|
Mar-26 |
646 |
89 |
|
April 2026 (01.04 - 24.04) |
527 |
12 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular month may relate to an application received in a previous year.
* The above table includes the following categories: Join Family (de facto partner CSEP/HA), Join Family (Irish nat.)(de facto partner), Join Family (Irish nat.)(other), Join Family (Irish nat.)(spouse), Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(de facto partner), Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(other), Join Family (Non-EEA nat.)(spouse), Join Family (UK nat.)
Table 4. Visit Visas
|
Period |
Granted (at first instance) |
Refused (at first instance) |
|
Jan-26 |
3,514 |
1,243 |
|
Feb-26 |
5,923 |
1,595 |
|
Mar-26 |
4,964 |
1,193 |
|
April 2026 (01.04 - 24.04) |
5,779 |
1,206 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular month may relate to an application received in a previous year.
Table 5. All other visa types
|
Period |
Granted (at first instance) |
Refused (at first instance) |
|
Jan-26 |
2,322 |
330 |
|
Feb-26 |
2,075 |
252 |
|
Mar-26 |
2,446 |
314 |
|
April 2026 (01.04 - 24.04) |
2,715 |
307 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
* A decision made in a particular month may relate to an application received in a previous year.
In December 2025, the Immigration Service of my Department introduced online payment functionality to my Department's online visa system. This allows applicants to pay visa fees as part of the online application process. The initiative is being rolled out on a phased basis and is currently live in 40 countries, with South Africa added in January 2026.
This reduces the administrative burden on Irish Missions and visa teams and allows visa officers to dedicate more time to core application processing and decision-making, contributing to improved processing efficiency over time.
Furthermore, the ongoing Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) modernisation programme is designed to support a more efficient, transparent and accessible immigration system. The recent establishment of dedicated teams for Application Submission and Join Family Case Processing are intended to help streamline workflows, reduce duplication and strengthen expertise, thereby improving the service delivery for join family visa applications.
