New figures highlighted by TheLiberal.ie show that Ireland admitted 125,300 immigrants in the 12-month period to April 2025, while just 65,600 people left the State. Net inward migration therefore reached 59,700 and pushed the population to an estimated 5.46 million. The surge included a record 18,560 asylum applications in 2024, of which almost 6,000 applicants had no accommodation on arrival.
The numbers land at a delicate moment for the coalition. The ‘Housing for All’ strategy envisaged 50,000 new homes per year, yet just 33,500 were completed in 2024, leaving an ever-widening shortfall that analysts at the Economic & Social Research Institute now peg at 250,000 units. Private rents in Dublin average €2,200 a month for a one-bed apartment, while provincial rents have also hit all-time highs.
In business circles the demographic momentum has a double edge: a deeper labour pool for multinationals, but also fiercer competition for scarce housing that is hampering staff relocation and graduate recruitment. Employers are finding themselves forced to pay relocation bonuses or fund temporary hotel accommodation—costs that erode Ireland’s corporate-tax advantage.
![Net migration tops 59,700 as housing deficit bites, sparking calls for tighter visa controls]()
Amid this shifting landscape, companies and individuals grappling with Irish entry requirements can lean on specialised visa advisory platforms. VisaHQ, for instance, provides up-to-date guidance on work permits, business visas and residency processes through its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), streamlining documentation and appointment scheduling so HR teams can focus on talent rather than red tape.
Opposition TDs renewed calls this morning for a temporary cap on non-EEA work permissions and stricter enforcement of deportation orders; only 198 deportations were carried out in 2025. Government sources insist that the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026 will accelerate asylum decisions and removals, but business groups want parallel acceleration of housing delivery, warning that “talent without housing cannot stay.”
For global mobility managers the message is clear: expect continued strain on short-term accommodation in Ireland’s main cities, factor in higher housing allowances, and prepare for possible policy shifts that could tighten visa availability for certain categories.
The numbers land at a delicate moment for the coalition. The ‘Housing for All’ strategy envisaged 50,000 new homes per year, yet just 33,500 were completed in 2024, leaving an ever-widening shortfall that analysts at the Economic & Social Research Institute now peg at 250,000 units. Private rents in Dublin average €2,200 a month for a one-bed apartment, while provincial rents have also hit all-time highs.
In business circles the demographic momentum has a double edge: a deeper labour pool for multinationals, but also fiercer competition for scarce housing that is hampering staff relocation and graduate recruitment. Employers are finding themselves forced to pay relocation bonuses or fund temporary hotel accommodation—costs that erode Ireland’s corporate-tax advantage.
Amid this shifting landscape, companies and individuals grappling with Irish entry requirements can lean on specialised visa advisory platforms. VisaHQ, for instance, provides up-to-date guidance on work permits, business visas and residency processes through its Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/), streamlining documentation and appointment scheduling so HR teams can focus on talent rather than red tape.
Opposition TDs renewed calls this morning for a temporary cap on non-EEA work permissions and stricter enforcement of deportation orders; only 198 deportations were carried out in 2025. Government sources insist that the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026 will accelerate asylum decisions and removals, but business groups want parallel acceleration of housing delivery, warning that “talent without housing cannot stay.”
For global mobility managers the message is clear: expect continued strain on short-term accommodation in Ireland’s main cities, factor in higher housing allowances, and prepare for possible policy shifts that could tighten visa availability for certain categories.
