New figures released to the Dáil show that the Irish State spent €1.2 billion last year on accommodation and related services for people seeking international protection. The outlay represents a 19 percent jump on 2024, despite the fact that new asylum applications actually fell by 29 percent to 13,160 over the same period. On an average day the taxpayer paid €3.29 million to house 33,241 applicants in more than 312 International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres around the country, including over 9,700 children.(bignewsnetwork.com)
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan told deputies that the cost line covers not only hotel rooms and dedicated centres but also transport, utilities, facilities management and security. The sharp rise comes after an unprecedented surge in arrivals between 2022 and 2024, which added more than 45,000 extra applicants—five times the normal intake. The government was forced onto the open market as state-owned bed capacity dwindled, driving up nightly rates and exposing weaknesses in procurement oversight.(bignewsnetwork.com)
![Irish State’s asylum accommodation bill balloons to €1.2 billion in 2025]()
Officials insist the picture is beginning to stabilise. A new pricing framework introduced last May has already shaved €77 million off contracts, while the purchase of the Citywest complex increased state-owned beds from 900 to more than 4,000. O’Callaghan said the goal is to shorten average stays—currently 24.8 months—by accelerating first-instance decisions and appeals. In 2025 the International Protection Office issued 20,200 first decisions, 81 percent of which were refusals.(bignewsnetwork.com)
Amid these shifts, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can be a valuable hub for employers, mobility specialists and individual travelers who need up-to-date information on Irish visa categories, document checklists and processing times. The service lets users track applications online and offers expert guidance—especially helpful as Dublin fine-tunes its immigration rules in response to the pressures outlined above.
For employers moving staff to Ireland, the ballooning bill matters because it feeds directly into a tense political debate over migration and housing shortages. Businesses may face a tougher public climate, more scrutiny of work-permit requests and possible new levies on companies that rely on non-EU labour. Mobility managers should monitor whether the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026 delivers on its promise of faster processing times, which could ease pressure on the hotel market and improve availability of short-term accommodation for business travellers.(gov.ie)
Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Minister Jim O’Callaghan told deputies that the cost line covers not only hotel rooms and dedicated centres but also transport, utilities, facilities management and security. The sharp rise comes after an unprecedented surge in arrivals between 2022 and 2024, which added more than 45,000 extra applicants—five times the normal intake. The government was forced onto the open market as state-owned bed capacity dwindled, driving up nightly rates and exposing weaknesses in procurement oversight.(bignewsnetwork.com)
Officials insist the picture is beginning to stabilise. A new pricing framework introduced last May has already shaved €77 million off contracts, while the purchase of the Citywest complex increased state-owned beds from 900 to more than 4,000. O’Callaghan said the goal is to shorten average stays—currently 24.8 months—by accelerating first-instance decisions and appeals. In 2025 the International Protection Office issued 20,200 first decisions, 81 percent of which were refusals.(bignewsnetwork.com)
Amid these shifts, VisaHQ (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) can be a valuable hub for employers, mobility specialists and individual travelers who need up-to-date information on Irish visa categories, document checklists and processing times. The service lets users track applications online and offers expert guidance—especially helpful as Dublin fine-tunes its immigration rules in response to the pressures outlined above.
For employers moving staff to Ireland, the ballooning bill matters because it feeds directly into a tense political debate over migration and housing shortages. Businesses may face a tougher public climate, more scrutiny of work-permit requests and possible new levies on companies that rely on non-EU labour. Mobility managers should monitor whether the forthcoming International Protection Bill 2026 delivers on its promise of faster processing times, which could ease pressure on the hotel market and improve availability of short-term accommodation for business travellers.(gov.ie)
