From 13 January 2025, all first-time registrations will be handled, in person, at the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin, while all applications for renewals of immigration permissions will continue to be handled using the new online portal.

Announcing the move today, justice minister Helen McEntee said: “Prior to the transfer of immigration functions from An Garda Síochána, over 100 gardaí were assigned to immigration duties, and today’s announcement has further released valuable Garda operational resources.

“The entire civilianisation process has enabled gardaí to focus more on enforcement and operational matters, such as deportations and investigations.”

Last year broke records for both first-time immigration registrations and renewals of immigration permissions, with over 310,000 applications were processed, comprising over 95,000 first-time registrations and over 215,000 renewals.

Mrs McEntee said: “I am committed to driving reform within Immigration Service Delivery of my Department to provide a more efficient and modern service for our customers.

“With the introduction of the Digital Contact Centre, customers can communicate with Immigration Service Delivery in a more customer-friendly and efficient manner.”