Photo credit: the Irish Times
Over 1,000 asylum seekers voluntarily left Ireland last year, according to provisional figures from the Department of Justice.
The Irish Times reports that it is a 72 per cent rise on 2024, when 934 people left the State voluntarily.
While there was an overall increase in the number of asylum seekers voluntarily leaving Ireland in 2025, there was no marked rise from September, despite the Government offering larger financial incentives for people who left.
Typically, at least 100 international protection applicants voluntarily leave the State each month. In September, 100 people left, increasing to 154 in October and 125 in November. The months with the highest numbers were May and July, when 171 and 190 people left, respectively.
In September, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced that, for a limited time, individuals in the international protection process before September 28 would be offered an increased “reintegration assistance” fee if they chose to avail of voluntary return at an earlier stage.
If a person decides to voluntarily return up to or before receiving a first instance decision on their protection application, or up to or before appealing a negative first instance decision on their protection application, or up to or before appealing a negative first instance decision, they will receive 2,500 euros per person or a maximum of 10,000 euros per family unit.
In 2025, the Department of Justice had spent 262,453 euros on reintegration assistance payments up to the end of May. That is more than the entire spend of 2024.
