Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) has reported that 125,300 people moved to the State in the year to April 2025, a decline of 16 % on the previous 12-month period. The data, released on 11 December in the European Migration Network’s (EMN) annual review, mark the first significant slowdown since borders fully reopened in 2022.
Analysts attribute the drop mainly to fewer arrivals from Ukraine as the EU’s Temporary Protection flows stabilise and family-reunification cases taper off. Net migration, however, remains positive at just over 40,000, continuing to place pressure on Ireland’s tight housing and labour markets. Employment-related moves still dominate: DETE issued record numbers of work permits in ICT, healthcare and construction, more than offsetting the fall in humanitarian arrivals.
For organisations and individuals navigating Irish visa rules, VisaHQ can lighten that administrative load. Through its dedicated Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the firm guides employers and assignees through the latest visa requirements, offers document-preparation support and tracks application status in real time—an extra layer of certainty when timelines are tight.
![CSO figures show 16 % drop in immigration—but work-permit demand remains robust]()
For employers, the headline is that talent shortages are not easing. While the pool of humanitarian arrivals has shrunk, companies are still competing fiercely for skilled foreign workers—particularly those eligible for Critical Skills Employment Permits. The forthcoming MAR roadmap will add a new cost layer from March 2026, but it won’t solve supply constraints.
The data also reinforce regional-planning challenges. Dublin and Cork continue to absorb the bulk of inward migrants, straining rental markets and public services. HR and mobility teams may need to accelerate “hub-and-spoke” models—placing expatriates in satellite offices such as Galway or Limerick—where housing is marginally more available.
Practically, businesses should continue to file work-permit applications early, monitor permit-processing times (currently six to eight weeks for most categories) and explore remote-first or hybrid arrangements to widen their talent catchment. The CSO will publish its next migration series in March 2026, giving policymakers and employers a clearer sense of whether the downturn is a blip or a new trend.
Analysts attribute the drop mainly to fewer arrivals from Ukraine as the EU’s Temporary Protection flows stabilise and family-reunification cases taper off. Net migration, however, remains positive at just over 40,000, continuing to place pressure on Ireland’s tight housing and labour markets. Employment-related moves still dominate: DETE issued record numbers of work permits in ICT, healthcare and construction, more than offsetting the fall in humanitarian arrivals.
For organisations and individuals navigating Irish visa rules, VisaHQ can lighten that administrative load. Through its dedicated Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), the firm guides employers and assignees through the latest visa requirements, offers document-preparation support and tracks application status in real time—an extra layer of certainty when timelines are tight.
For employers, the headline is that talent shortages are not easing. While the pool of humanitarian arrivals has shrunk, companies are still competing fiercely for skilled foreign workers—particularly those eligible for Critical Skills Employment Permits. The forthcoming MAR roadmap will add a new cost layer from March 2026, but it won’t solve supply constraints.
The data also reinforce regional-planning challenges. Dublin and Cork continue to absorb the bulk of inward migrants, straining rental markets and public services. HR and mobility teams may need to accelerate “hub-and-spoke” models—placing expatriates in satellite offices such as Galway or Limerick—where housing is marginally more available.
Practically, businesses should continue to file work-permit applications early, monitor permit-processing times (currently six to eight weeks for most categories) and explore remote-first or hybrid arrangements to widen their talent catchment. The CSO will publish its next migration series in March 2026, giving policymakers and employers a clearer sense of whether the downturn is a blip or a new trend.
