The Department of Justice has quietly accelerated the use of ‘exclusion orders’—a legal tool that allows Ireland to deport convicted EU nationals and bar them from returning for up to ten years. New Irish Times data show 99 such orders were imposed between January and mid-October 2025, six-times the 2024 total, and officials predict at least 120 before year-end.
Exclusion orders exist under the European Communities Free Movement Regulations 2015 but were rarely used until this year. They target individuals whose conduct poses “a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat” to public security. Recent charter flights have removed 23 Romanian offenders in one operation, while 22 others have been placed on scheduled services. The surge follows political pressure after high-profile crimes involving non-Irish offenders sparked debate over abuse of free-movement rights.
For multinational companies employing EU citizens in Ireland the change matters: any staff convicted of serious offences could now face automatic expulsion and a decade-long ban, disrupting projects and family settlement plans. Employers are urged to review disciplinary protocols and ensure legal support is available, as deportation plus exclusion prevents even short business visits.
The shift also foreshadows stricter application of the soon-to-be-implemented EU Pact on Migration & Asylum, which pledges faster returns of irregular migrants. Immigration lawyers say they are already seeing shorter appeal windows and more proactive liaison between the Irish Prison Service, Garda National Immigration Bureau and airlines to secure travel documents. Businesses that rely on intra-EU mobility should monitor case law to understand how ‘public policy’ thresholds are being interpreted.
Exclusion orders exist under the European Communities Free Movement Regulations 2015 but were rarely used until this year. They target individuals whose conduct poses “a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat” to public security. Recent charter flights have removed 23 Romanian offenders in one operation, while 22 others have been placed on scheduled services. The surge follows political pressure after high-profile crimes involving non-Irish offenders sparked debate over abuse of free-movement rights.
For multinational companies employing EU citizens in Ireland the change matters: any staff convicted of serious offences could now face automatic expulsion and a decade-long ban, disrupting projects and family settlement plans. Employers are urged to review disciplinary protocols and ensure legal support is available, as deportation plus exclusion prevents even short business visits.
The shift also foreshadows stricter application of the soon-to-be-implemented EU Pact on Migration & Asylum, which pledges faster returns of irregular migrants. Immigration lawyers say they are already seeing shorter appeal windows and more proactive liaison between the Irish Prison Service, Garda National Immigration Bureau and airlines to secure travel documents. Businesses that rely on intra-EU mobility should monitor case law to understand how ‘public policy’ thresholds are being interpreted.
