Immigration to Ireland saw a 16 per cent decrease in the year up to April 2025.
The figures were outlined in the European Migration Network (EMN) Ireland’s annual review of migration and asylum.
The review was published on Thursday, December 11th. The EMN is an EU network of experts who collaborate to provide data on migration and international protection.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimates that 125,300 people immigrated into Ireland in the 12 months to April 2025, a 16 per cent decrease from the previous 12 months.
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The EMN said this decrease likely reflects the decreased number of arrivals from Ukraine in the year to April 2025.
The CSO also estimates that emigration decreased slightly, with 65,600 people leaving Ireland, a decrease of 6.2 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
There was a 10 per cent decrease in the number of first-residence permits issued in Ireland in 2024, compared with 2023.
All categories of reasons why permits are issued decreased. The largest decrease was in permits issued for employment reasons. Almost half (48 per cent) of residence permits were issued for education reasons, followed by 24 per cent for employment reasons, 23 per cent for other reasons and 5 per cent for family reasons.
According to Eurostat data, 21 per cent of permits issued for other reasons relate to international protection or humanitarian status, but the majority are unspecified.
The most common nationalities to be granted a first-residence permit in 2024 were Indian with 28 per cent, Brazilian with 13 per cent, Chinese with 8 per cent and US American with 6 per cent.
First-residence permits in Ireland in 2024 represented 7 per cent of the EU permits granted for education reasons, 1.7 per cent for employment reasons and 0.4 per cent for family reasons.
The number of employment permits issued in 2024 increased by 27 per cent from 2023 with a total of 39,390 employment permits.
Thirty-four per cent of employment permits were issued to Indian nationals, a 14 per cent increase from 2023.
Other top countries of origin include Brazil with 12 per cent, the Philippines with 11 per cent, China with 5 per cent and Pakistan with 4 per cent.
The two most common sectors of employment for permit holders were health and social work activities, and information and communication activities.
General employment permits are used by the State to attract those who would not otherwise have permission to work in Ireland for occupations that are experiencing a labour or skills shortage.
Holders of such permits seeking residency must make a separate application for residency to the Department of Justice.
A total of 18,561 applications for international protection were made in Ireland in 2024, according to the International Protection Office, a 40 per cent increase from 2023,
Of those, 28 per cent of applicants were under 18, according to rounded data from Eurostat.
Applications for international protection in Ireland in 2024 accounted for 1.86 per cent of the EU total of 997,350, an increase from 1.17 per cent in 2023.
Nigeria, Jordan and Pakistan were the top three countries of origin for international protection applicants in Ireland in 2024.
