Immigration service to process over 250,000 applications in 2018

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) plans to process over 250,000 immigration applications during 2018.

The figure was announced by the Department of Justice and Equality as it published its annual review of immigration in Ireland.

The 2017 publication launched yesterday includes updated statistics, identifies key policy and operational developments during 2017, and also some areas of future focus.

Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: “The numbers of people legally living in Ireland to work, to study, or to settle here with their families have also continued to grow strongly as our economy recovers.

“There are now almost 128,000 people from outside the EEA who are legally living in Ireland – these are students and workers from Brazil, from India, from China, from the USA, and from many, many other countries. They are supporting the continuing economic growth of our nation, and the diversity which they add to Irish society is hugely important.

“This important publication sets out many other statistics and updates on immigration in Ireland which deserve attention – from the 8,199 new Irish citizens in 2017 to the 14.8m passengers who arrived at Dublin airport.

“The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service plans to process over 250,000 immigration applications during 2018, with continuing improvements to services and technology to deliver better customer experiences, while maintaining a safe and secure immigration system.”