Number of US nationals applying for international protection in Ireland has more than tripled so far this year

As of September 4, there have been 75 international protection applications made by US nationals in Ireland so far in 2025.

This figure is more than triple the total number of US applicants in Ireland in 2024, which was 22.

The latest figures provided to IrishCentral by Ireland's Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration show a steady increase in the number of applicants since 2022, when there were 13 applicants, followed by 19 applicants in 2023.

Prior to that, there were nine applicants in 2017, six in 2018, 12 in 2019, 12 in 2020, and eight in 2021.

The Department did note that while all figures are correct at the time of issue, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

The 75 international applications made by Americans so far this year are a small portion of the total 8,259 international applications made in Ireland between January and August of this year.

And while the number of US nationals applying for international protection in Ireland this year has increased, overall, the number of applications made in Ireland has decreased.

Ireland's International Protection Office said in its August 2025 statistical report that the figure of 8,259 applications between January and August represented a 41.1% decrease on the figure for the same period in 2024 (14,022).

The report also noted that as of August 31 this year, the nationality with the highest number of applications made in Ireland was Nigeria (1,233), followed by Somalia (1,104), Pakistan (1,060), Afghanistan (8,55), and Georgia (5,49).

Earlier this month, immigration sources told RTÉ News that any individual seeking international protection from the US was likely to face an uphill battle.

"The number of claims from the US is small in terms of the volume of applications being made overall," a source said.

"However, an American citizen - like any other applicant - would have to prove they came here to escape harm and demonstrate a well-founded fear for their safety if they returned."

Earlier this year, The Sunday Times in the UK reported that according to Ireland's Justice Department, the vast majority of the asylum applications from the US were refused, "with exceptions in rare cases where a non-American parent was granted asylum but their American-born child was recorded in the system."

International protection in Ireland

In Ireland, there are two forms of international protection covered by the International Protection Act 2015 - "refugee status" and "subsidiary protection."

To be recognized for refugee status, an applicant must have a "well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion," and cannot seek the protection of his or her country.

Subsidiary protection status means an applicant cannot return to their home country because they are at risk of serious harm, but they do not qualify as a refugee.

There are normally six steps to apply for international protection in Ireland. Citizens Information notes: "It can take a long time to go through these steps because there can be delays and you may have to appeal points along the way."

The steps are: Tell the authorities you want to apply; Do a preliminary interview; Complete a questionnaire; Do a personal interview (also called second interview); Get a recommendation from the IPO; Get a decision from the Ministerial Decisions Unit.