Ireland’s global-mobility landscape is shifting in two directions at once, according to the European Migration Network (EMN) annual review released on 29 December. Overall inward migration fell 16 % in the year to April 2025—down to 125,300 arrivals—largely because the wave of Ukrainian Temporary Protection beneficiaries has slowed to a trickle. Yet applications for International Protection (asylum) surged 40 % in 2024 to an all-time high of 18,561, with Nigeria, Jordan and Pakistan displacing Ukraine in the top three source countries.
For employers, the headline numbers mask important nuances. Work-permit issuance dipped 10 % in 2024, reflecting a tighter labour market and pending salary-threshold hikes due in March 2026. At the same time, more than 17,000 asylum applicants have obtained Labour-Market-Access Permission, increasing competition for entry-level roles in hospitality and logistics. HR teams relying on Critical Skills and General Employment Permits should therefore audit upcoming renewals to ensure salaries meet the new €36,605/€40,904 benchmarks.
Politically, the data add fuel to a contentious debate over accommodation shortages and border controls. The Department of Justice points out that asylum filings have already fallen 40 % in 2025, crediting faster triage at the International Protection Office and bilateral ‘safe-country’ returns agreements. Business lobbies, however, warn that unpredictable processing times and periodic hotel takeovers for refugee housing create a perception risk that could deter foreign investors.
![CSO Report: Immigration to Ireland Falls 16 % as 2024 Asylum Claims Hit Record High]()
Against this backdrop, firms aiming to keep mobility plans on track can turn to VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) for end-to-end support. The platform supplies up-to-date visa requirements, document checklists and application tracking, helping HR teams navigate Critical Skills, General Employment and dependent permits while receiving alerts when salary thresholds or policy rules change.
On the compliance front, mobility managers must prepare for stricter policing of over-stays in 2026: the forthcoming International Protection (Amendment) Bill will align refugees’ citizenship-qualification period with other residents (five years) and introduce a ‘self-sufficiency’ test that bars applicants who relied on certain welfare benefits in the previous 24 months.
Practically, companies should refresh global-mobility policies to clarify support—if any—for dependent-family asylum claims, stay alert for new student-visa quotas being debated for English-language schools, and revisit housing allowances for inbound assignees given continued pressure on rental supply.
For employers, the headline numbers mask important nuances. Work-permit issuance dipped 10 % in 2024, reflecting a tighter labour market and pending salary-threshold hikes due in March 2026. At the same time, more than 17,000 asylum applicants have obtained Labour-Market-Access Permission, increasing competition for entry-level roles in hospitality and logistics. HR teams relying on Critical Skills and General Employment Permits should therefore audit upcoming renewals to ensure salaries meet the new €36,605/€40,904 benchmarks.
Politically, the data add fuel to a contentious debate over accommodation shortages and border controls. The Department of Justice points out that asylum filings have already fallen 40 % in 2025, crediting faster triage at the International Protection Office and bilateral ‘safe-country’ returns agreements. Business lobbies, however, warn that unpredictable processing times and periodic hotel takeovers for refugee housing create a perception risk that could deter foreign investors.
Against this backdrop, firms aiming to keep mobility plans on track can turn to VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) for end-to-end support. The platform supplies up-to-date visa requirements, document checklists and application tracking, helping HR teams navigate Critical Skills, General Employment and dependent permits while receiving alerts when salary thresholds or policy rules change.
On the compliance front, mobility managers must prepare for stricter policing of over-stays in 2026: the forthcoming International Protection (Amendment) Bill will align refugees’ citizenship-qualification period with other residents (five years) and introduce a ‘self-sufficiency’ test that bars applicants who relied on certain welfare benefits in the previous 24 months.
Practically, companies should refresh global-mobility policies to clarify support—if any—for dependent-family asylum claims, stay alert for new student-visa quotas being debated for English-language schools, and revisit housing allowances for inbound assignees given continued pressure on rental supply.
