LAST UPDATE | 23 Apr

THE INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION Office (IPO) will begin prioritising applications of asylum seekers from the countries with the highest number of applications in the previous three months.

This will be in addition to those currently prioritised and accelerated under the safe country of origin list. 

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is introducing further measures in hopes of slowing down an increase in people seeking international protection. 

From today international protection applicants from the country which has had the highest number of people coming to Ireland over the previous three months will go into what is called an accelerated process. 

This means they will have their cases decided on within 90 days. 

Currently, the country with the highest number of people seeking asylum in Ireland over the last three months is Nigeria – accounting for 34% of all asylum applications this year with 2,053 applicants in 2024. 

Minister McEntee believes the 50% reduction in asylum applications from countries designated as “safe” since fast processing was introduced for them is clear evidence that people who are not in need of protection are seeing the risk of refusal and deportation order as “not worth it”. 

Currently, accelerated processing is in place for “safe countries” of origin – Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and South Africa.

“The best way to ensure the integrity of our immigration system is to ensure efficient processing of international protection applications -  that gives protection really quickly to those who need it, while also demonstrating to applicants who don’t need it that there is nothing to gain from going down the asylum route,” said McEntee.

“Since the introduction of the safe country procedures we have seen a 50% reduction in applications from countries designated as ‘safe’. 

“It is clear evidence that people who are not in need or protection but who are perhaps coming here for economic reasons, are seeing that risking a refusal and deportation order, is not worth it.” 

If the top country in terms of applications changes in the next three months, the prioritisation and acceleration of processing will switch to that nationality. 

The next assessment is expected to take place in July 2024.  It will determine which country of origin represents the highest number of applications in the April-June 2024 period.