There were 881 international protection applications from Jordan in the second quarter of 2024, making it the country with the second-highest volume of applications after Nigeria.

Nigerian applications have been processed on an accelerated basis since April, when the government announced a new policy of expediting claims from the source of the highest number of applications.

Justice minister Helen McEntee said: “In April I extended accelerated processing measures to whatever country has the highest number of applicants in the previous three-month period. This country was Nigeria, which has seen a 53 per cent drop in applications since being brought to the accelerated process.

“By expanding this to include the country with the second highest number of applicants, I am further speeding up international protection processing. This country is currently Jordan and so applicants from this country will now be subject to the accelerated process.

“Accelerated processing allows for faster decisions so, if a person is entitled to protection, they can get on with re-building their lives here in Ireland, and those who do not qualify can return to their own country in a timely manner.

“I will continue to make regular assessments on which applicants will be subject to the accelerated process. Migration patterns can shift and change, and we must remain flexible and adaptive to maintain the integrity and efficiency of our immigration system.”

Accelerated processing, first introduced in November 2022, now applies to the 15 so-called ‘safe countries of origin’, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe, and citizens of the two countries which provide the most number of applicants in the previous quarter.

The safe countries of origin list is presently made up of Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, India, Kosovo, Malawi, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia and South Africa.