Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 June 2026
129. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the staffing levels at the visa office in Beijing and Abu Dhabi; and the number of applications that were received in each of those offices in 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form. [46064/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that Visa and pre-clearance applications provide legal avenues for people moving to Ireland for employment, study and family reasons and also to facilitate visitors who wish to travel for business and/or tourism. It is important to recall these applications are screening processes, designed to establish that the person has a legitimate reason to come to Ireland prior to travel.
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. My officials are working to meet the increased level of demand, and over 8,700 additional visa decisions were issued in 2025, compared to 2024.
The tables below show the current number of staff and the number of visa applications received in Abu Dhabi and Beijing visa offices as requested by the Deputy.
Table 1. Visa staff in Abu Dhabi and Beijing
|
Office |
Staff |
|
Abu Dhabi |
10 |
|
Beijing |
13 |
Table 2. Overall number of visa applications received in Abu Dhabi and Beijing visa offices in 2025-2026 (Q1 to 31/03)
|
Office |
Visa applications received
2025
|
Visa applications received
2026 (up to 31/03)
|
|
Abu Dhabi |
12,826
|
2,344 |
|
Beijing |
14,506
|
2,042 |
* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
