Asylum applications increase by 53% in 2014

More than 2,300 people were deported from Ireland in 2014 and there was a 53 per cent increase in asylum applications to the State during the year, according to new figures. The Department of Justice annual report shows 2,147 migrants were refused access to the Republic before being returned to their states of origin. A further 111 "failed asylum seekers" and illegal immigrants were deported, a figure which closely aligns with the 110 fewer direct provision cases dealt with by the State in 2014.

At the start of 2015, about 4,280 people were accommodated in the direct provision system, down from a peak of 6,100 in 2010. The statistics do not detail how many of these cases are being dealt with on a long-term basis, a figure which stood at 2,200, according to research conducted by The Irish Times last August.

The number of asylum applications last year was 1,444, compared with 946 in 2013. The highest volume were from people from Pakistan, Nigeria and Albania. Overall, there were about 172,000 new applications for entry received by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), including attempts to secure visas, protection, residence and citizenship.

About 12 per cent of applicants were Brazilian, 11 per cent Indian, while 7 per cent came from the US. The immigration service processed about 179,000 applications in 2014, including a backlog of cases from previous years.

It was also a busy first year for Dublin Airport's new e-gates which dealt with 260,000 passengers. Yesterday marked the beginning of a process to end Garda involvement in immigration duties at the airport, as 42 new civilian recruits began training with the INIS.

According to the department, this will ultimately free up 125 gardaí.