Number of Georgians seeking international protection in Ireland now close to 1,800

Almost 1,800 people from Georgia seeking international protection have arrived in Ireland in the first eight months of 2022, almost five times higher than the total amount for all of 2021.

So far, this year 8,892 people from around the world have sought protection in Ireland. If the numbers continue on the current trajectory it will exceed the peak numbers of almost 12,000 in 2001 and 2002.

In all, 1,792 Georgian nationals sought asylum in Ireland until the end of August, compared to fewer than 400 for the 12 months. The number of people from Georgia entering Ireland seeking protection is now running at between 300 and 400 per month.

The next highest nationality group is from Somalia, with 1,239 applications by the end of August. There were slightly fewer than 1,000 applications from Algerians; 728 from Zimbabwe; 655 from Nigeria; and 478 from Afghanistan.

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Some 338 of those who sought asylum came from Ukraine and chose to seek this means of seeking protection, rather than the straight granting of refugee status that has been granted to more than 50,000 people from the war-torn country.

[ Surge in Georgians requesting asylum raises fears the country could lose its visa-free travel status in Europe ]

Georgia is seeking to become a candidate country for European Union membership in the next few years and is also deemed to be a safe country of origin under the International Protection Act 2015.

In June, the European Commission deferred a decision on giving Georgia EU candidate status and instead proposed a “conditional perspective” of membership that would depend on its passing reforms.

Suspension

The Government in July agreed to temporarily suspend the operation of a European agreement that allowed refugees with Convention Travel Documents to travel to other countries without a visa or prior clearance. The arrangement had allowed for visits to Ireland for a maximum of three months.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney got approval for the scheme to be suspended for 12 months. The decision means that asylum seekers cannot travel from other signatory countries in Europe to Ireland without visas. The Ministers said the arrangement was being abused.

“We have seen that the visa exemption provided for in the Council of Europe Agreement is being exploited, including by some who enter the State and subsequently claim international protection, despite having already been granted such protection by another European state,” said Ms McEntee.

In light of the substantial increase in applications for international protection this year, the Department of Justice has also been working since the summer on new arrangements that will see processing of asylum applications hugely expedited for those people coming from safe countries of origin.

The aim is to reduce the process of determining refugee status to two months, compared to the two-three years it takes at present. In addition, the Government is also understood to be ready to resume deportations in the near future, having suspended them during the Covid pandemic.

Among those who have expressed concern specifically at the number of Georgian nationals seeking protection has been Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan. “The Georgian people are pro EU. The Georgian Government continues to present its EU credentials. It seems curious, therefore, that so many Georgians are fleeing the country and seeking international protection in Ireland,” he said earlier this summer.