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Emigration at highest level since 2015

There was a 5% increase in immigration to Ireland  in the year ending April 2024, the European Migration Network has said.

Immigration from outside the EU or Britain accounted for 58% of the increase, with Ukrainians adding to the numbers.

Applications for international protection fell by 3%, but a high backlog of 21,850 applications remained by the end of the year.

Substantial increase

The appeals process saw a substantial increase in applications, leading to a 359% rise in the number of pending cases compared with 2022, even though the median processing time for appeals improved.

The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) saw a 42% increase in the number of people in accommodation, with over 2,000 applicants not receiving accommodation upon arrival.

Approximately 34,000 Personal Public Service (PPS) numbers were allocated to arrivals from Ukraine, a decrease from 2022.

Residence permits for non-EEA nationals saw a 24% increase, with education and employment being the primary reasons for these permits.

Employment permits, however, dropped by 29% in 2023, with sectors such as health and social work (32%) and information and communication (16%) being the most prominent employers.

Emigration grew by 9%, with 69,900 people leaving Ireland by April 2024. This was the highest emigration rate since 2015.