Ireland’s migration problem – explained in seven graphs

Migration has become one of the most important issues in Ireland.

A diplomatic row with Britain this week over asylum seekers has thrust the issue into the center of political debate.

How many people have come to Ireland recently, and what happens when they get here?

In line with trends across Europe, the number of people arriving in the state to seek asylum has soared in recent years, reaching record levels.

In 2022 there was a 415 percent increase in the number of applications compared to 2021, and an increase of 186 percent compared to 2019.

In 2022 there were 13,651 applications for international protection, while in 2023 there were 13,277 applications.

The number of asylum applications and arrivals has increased further in recent months. Justice Secretary Helen McEntee claimed that part of this increase was due to people avoiding Britain because of the deportation policy in Rwanda.

In March this year, 1,821 asylum applications were submitted, compared to 858 in March 2023.

Nearly 6,500 people arrived in the Republic between January and the end of April this year, compared to around 3,100 in the same period in 2023.

About 35 percent of these arrivals are men traveling alone, but the figures also include children, couples, women and single parents.

More than 460 children arrived in April, according to weekly updates from the International Protection Office.

All this has put pressure on the already strained housing system for applicants for international protection.

The system is managed by the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS), part of the Department of Integration. IPAS manages shelters, emergency shelters, the Citywest Transit Hub and tented accommodation.

The number of people living in the IPAS system has more than tripled since 2021, when around 7,000 people were accommodated. Now nearly 30,000 people are in state-provided shelter.

The sharp increase, amid the ongoing housing crisis, led the government to say last year that it could no longer accommodate all asylum seekers. In practice, this means that men without children are not given priority for housing.

Some of these men eventually ended up on the streets. This week, more than 200 asylum seekers living in tents outside the International Protection Office in Dublin were moved from the area to facilities in Citywest and Crooksling in Co Dublin.

The country has also seen a spike in arson attacks on buildings rumored or intended to house people seeking international protection.

Shelters and emergency shelters are located in all parts of the state, with asylum seekers living in every county.

Galway City is the local authority with the most asylum seekers in proportion to its population, at around 1.5 percent, followed by Donegal (1.2 percent). Kilkenny has the fewest housed asylum seekers as a percentage of the population (0.1 percent).

In contrast, the number of weekly arrivals from Ukraine has fallen significantly since the beginning of this year.

It comes after the government cut allowances for newly arrived Ukrainian refugees, from €220 to €38.80 per week, the same rate asylum seekers receive.

New arrivals from Ukraine also now have a 90-day limit on how long they can be housed by the state.

More than 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Ireland since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

Many of them have settled in rural and western areas of the country. Kerry, Leitrim, Donegal and Clare are the counties with the highest proportion of Ukrainian refugees in relation to population.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, based on PPSN registrations, there are 12 Ukrainian refugees per 100 inhabitants in Ennistymon, County Clare.

Despite recent tensions over migration, Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Friday that “immigration is a good thing” but that Irish people “want to know the rules are being enforced”.

“Ireland is a better place for the many people who make Ireland their home,” Harris said. “They work in hospitals, they work in our hospitality sector and in many sectors of the economy.

“So migration and immigration are a good thing and I think it’s very important that we say that and that we don’t sow that ground or create a vacuum that others can take advantage of.

“Having said that, I think people in Ireland, and I imagine people in most countries, want to know that there are rules, they want to know that the rules are being enforced, they want to know that the system is fair , that it helps those who are entitled to help.

“That if someone comes to our country and goes through a processing system and has no right to be there, that person is initially asked to leave and must leave if they don’t.”