A record number of 13,319 people from around the world sought asylum in Ireland during 2022, according to data released by the Department of Justice.
The figure for people applying for international protection in Ireland is the highest since records began.
The total is in addition to the almost 70,000 people who fled the war in Ukraine and who were granted protection in Ireland during 2022.
The number of applications for asylum exceeded the previous peak of 11,634, which was recorded in 2002.
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In response to the increase 20 years ago, the then Fianna Fáil-led government introduced new immigration laws and held a referendum on citizenship. Both had the effect of reducing the number of those seeking international protection in succeeding years. Since 2014, the number of people seeking international protection each year has ranged between 1,500 and 4,000.
The new peak recorded for 2022 has been attributed to a number of factors including the lifting of travel restrictions after Covid, more restrictive asylum protection regimes in other EU countries, and the increased use of Ireland as a transit route for those seeking to gain entry to the UK. It is six times as high as the figure recorded for 2021, but the figure for that year was lower than might have been expected owing to travel restrictions during the pandemic.
About 20 per cent of all those seeking asylum in 2022 were from Georgia, which is deemed a safe country of origin and which has visa-free travel to the EU. The former Soviet republic is now on a pathway to applying for membership of the EU.
In October, The Irish Times reported that 40 per cent of all asylum seekers who arrive at Dublin Airport have no travel documents. The figures indicate that large numbers lost or destroy their passports before reaching immigration control. The absence of documentation resulted in delays in processing the applications, during which time the applicant is allowed stay in Ireland.
As of December 22nd, a total of 69,671 people from Ukraine were granted temporary protection in Ireland.
In all the Department of Children, Equality and Integration had to ensure 83,000 people were given food and shelter in Ireland during 2022. About a fifth of the Ukrainian refugees were accommodated by relatives and friends. However, during short periods, the authorities were unable to offer any accommodation to asylum seekers who arrived in the country.
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 Ministers said the arrangement was being abused.
The Department of Justice also began introducing new arrangements to reduce the processing time for applications from safe countries of origin including Georgia – with the aim of cutting it from two-to-three years to two-to-three months.
