Annual report on migration and asylum 2023

The Annual report on migration and asylum 2023: Ireland provides a detailed overview of the key developments in migration and asylum in Ireland in 2023. It includes statistics, significant policy developments and debates, research and notable case law on a comprehensive range of migration-related topics. It is the 20th report in the series and complements the European Migration Network’s (EMN) series of European annual reports, which give an overview of developments across EMN Member and Observer Countries.

While Ireland’s migration and asylum landscape is constantly changing, significant developments occurred in 2023. Ireland’s population continues to rise, with an estimated population of 5.38 million in 2024, a 1.9% increase from the previous year. Immigration and emigration both increased in the 12 months to April 2024 according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), although immigration was still slightly lower than the peak in 2007. During this time, Ireland welcomed arrivals from Ukraine following the continued Russian invasion, albeit in lower numbers than in 2022, and experienced continued high levels of people seeking international protection in Ireland. This report is also set against a backdrop of other social, economic and political developments such as increased costs of living, a housing crisis and increase in anti-migrant sentiment. While not all of these are covered in the report, they are relevant to understanding the context at the time.

Policy and legislative changes were also prominent in 2023, spanning various aspects of migration and asylum such as labour migration, international protection, temporary protection, integration, human trafficking, irregular migration, visas and return. Developments also occurred at multiple levels, from the national to European and international levels.

This report serves as a comprehensive resource, providing detailed statistics, policy and legislative changes, summaries of recent research and significant case law. It is intended to be a reliable reference for readers seeking to understand these elements for the year of the report.