IRELAND HAS lost its appeal as a haven for asylum seekers, with a fall of one-third in the numbers coming here to seek protection last year.
The economic downturn and tougher immigration controls are seen as the driving factors behind the ninth successive annual fall in asylum applications.
Just 1,250 applications were received last year, barely a tenth of the peak recorded a decade ago.
Announcing the figures yesterday, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said the number of people deported from Ireland went up again last year, to 280. He defended the State’s removal of illegal immigrants as a necessary feature of the immigration system. “In enforcing the law in this respect, Ireland is no different to other countries who also remove individuals who have no lawful right to remain within their territory.”
The Minister announced immigration reforms he intends to pursue this year. These include the civilianisation of immigration posts occupied by gardaí in Dublin airport, the introduction of immigrant investor and entrepreneur programmes and development of the common travel area between Ireland and Britain.
“The immigration system can significantly aid economic activity, and it is my priority that the system is utilised to the greatest extent possible in that respect,” he said.
Other measures will include development of an English-language and civics test for people seeking naturalisation, and a clear statement of policy on family reunification and settlement for cases involving partners of Irish citizens from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and those where both parties are from outside the EEA group of nations.
A new pilot project will see civilian staff from the Department of Justice take up duty as immigration officers in Dublin airport for the first time. Gardaí will be redeployed to front-line policing duties. Powers of restraint, detention and arrest will remain with the Garda.
The Minister also promised that by the end of spring all standard applications for citizenship would be dealt with within six months.
Applications had mushroomed from 1,000 a year in 2000 to more than 25,000 in 2010, causing lengthy delays. Mr Shatter said measures introduced this year had resulted in a doubling of the number of case decisions, and further progress in cutting the backlog would be made this year.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland welcomed the Minister’s commitment. “The process is often bureaucratic and cumbersome, with high fees and refusal rates, but there has already been an improvement in terms of the outcomes of citizenship applications and the processing times,” chief executive Denise Charleton said. The council had concerns over the proposal to civilianise immigration work in Dublin airport relating to suitability and training of staff and the degree of Ombudsman oversight that would apply, she said.
Some 28 ceremonies to mark the granting of citizenship to people from 112 states were held last year. The Minister said the ceremonies were helping to restore a sense of what was good about being Irish.
Despite the drop-off in asylum applications there were 5,400 people seeking international protection being accommodated in direct provision centres around the State at the end of December, the figures show.
Some 280 failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants were deported from the State last year, compared to 247 in 2010. Those deported were mainly from Nigeria, South Africa, Pakistan, Moldova and Georgia.
The figures show a continuing fall in the number of non-EEA nationals registered in the State, to 130,500. Most are here to work or study, and the largest groups are from India (11 per cent), followed by China, Brazil and Nigeria (9 per cent apiece).
The Visa Waiver Programme, introduced to boost tourism from developing countries, will remain until after the Olympics in London.
Of 83,000 entry visa applications processed last year, 91 per cent were approved. India accounted for the largest number of applications (17 per cent), followed by Russia (14 per cent) and China (12 per cent).