Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 September 2026
376. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide the recognition or appeal-success rate for international protection appeals to date in 2026, by year, nationality, application procedure; and whether an oral hearing was held and, where legally permissible, with an individual Tribunal member or Appeals Officer. [67711/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based.
There has been a significant increase in investment in the international protection system over the last number of years which, combined with digitisation and process re-engineering, has facilitated a major increase in processing capacity and demonstrates a strong commitment to reducing cases on hand.
In 2025, the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered over 20,200 first instance decisions compared to approximately 14,100 in 2024: a 44% increase. IPAT more than doubled the number of appeals closed from 3,100 in 2024 to nearly 6,300 in 2025. This year, as of 20 September, IPAT has already closed 6,693 appeals and is on track to significantly exceed the number of appeals closed in 2025.
All applicants refused international protection have a right to appeal under the International Protection Act 2015 to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal who must then consider if the earlier International Protection Office determinations on refugee status and subsidiary protection should be affirmed or set aside.
The table below shows appeal decisions by IPAT from 2022 to 20 September 2026.
|
Appeal decisions |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026* |
|
Granted/set aside |
496 |
446 |
819 |
1,488 |
1,670 |
|
Percentage |
31.67% |
26.31% |
26.58% |
24.74% |
25.40% |
|
Refused / Affirmed / Withdrawn / Deemed Withdrawn |
1,070 |
1,249 |
2,262 |
4,527 |
4,904 |
|
Percentage |
68.33% |
73.69% |
73.42% |
75.26% |
74.60% |
|
Total |
1,566 |
1,695 |
3,081 |
6,015 |
6,574 |
*to 20 September 2026
The table below shows IPAT Decisions by Country Of Nationality in 2025.
|
Nationality |
Grand Total |
Granted/Set Aside |
Refused/Affirmed |
Set Aside % of Total Decisions |
Affirmed % of Total Decisions |
|
Georgia |
1501 |
292 |
1209 |
19% |
81% |
|
Nigeria |
614 |
196 |
418 |
32% |
68% |
|
Algeria |
581 |
101 |
480 |
17% |
83% |
|
South Africa |
348 |
98 |
250 |
28% |
72% |
|
Zimbabwe |
265 |
154 |
111 |
58% |
42% |
|
Somalia |
162 |
118 |
44 |
73% |
27% |
|
Botswana |
162 |
71 |
91 |
44% |
56% |
|
Egypt |
128 |
10 |
118 |
8% |
92% |
|
Albania |
106 |
28 |
78 |
26% |
74% |
|
Pakistan |
96 |
29 |
67 |
30% |
70% |
|
Other |
594 |
177 |
417 |
30% |
70% |
|
Total |
4557 |
1274 |
3283 |
28% |
72% |
Whether an appeal is determined on the papers or following an oral hearing depends primarily on whether the applicant is subject to the Accelerated Appeals Process provided for under the International Protection Act 2015.
Applicants may submit reasons as to why they believe an oral hearing should be held in their case. Each such request is considered on a case-by-case basis.
The table below sets out the number of decisions issued by IPAT following an oral hearing from 2022 to 20 September 2026.
|
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026* |
|
1183 |
1141 |
1782 |
2665 |
3010 |
*To 20 September 2026
As the Deputy will be aware, the International Protection Act 2026 came into effect on 12 June 2026 and gives effect to the EU Migration and Asylum Pact.
A new international protection appeals body, the Tribunal for Asylum and Returns Appeals (TARA) was established on June 12 to process all appeals received under the International Protection Act 2026. IPAT will continue to process appeals arising under the International Protection Act 2015 (as amended).
TARA will determine appeals without an oral hearing, except where an Appeals Officer considers one necessary to ensure a full examination of the facts and points of law. Standardised processing timeframes apply across a wide range of protection and appeal pathways:
|
Appeal Pathway |
Timeframe |
|
Standard Procedure |
6 Months |
|
Accelerated Procedure |
3 Months |
|
Border Procedure |
3 Months |
|
AMMR (Applicants who previously applied for protection elsewhere in Europe) |
2 Months |
There were 272 appeals currently pending with TARA and 69 appeals have been completed as of 20 September 2026, two of which followed an oral hearing.
Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.
