ALMOST 2,250 people were deported or removed from the State in the past 12 months, according to new figures today from the Department of Justice. Of that number, the vast majority — some 1,890 people were refused entry at ports and airports and sent back to their original location.

210 failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants were deported from the State. The top five nationalities deported were from Nigeria, China, Mauritius, Albania and Pakistan. 86 were deported on charter flights and 124 on scheduled commercial aircraft.

A further 84 asylum seekers were transferred to the EU member state in which they first applied for asylum, while 63 EU nationals were returned to their countries of origin on foot of a Removal Order.

The figures show a slight reduction on the previous year, when a total of 2,700 people were removed from the state (again, the vast majority stopped at ports and airports, and a further 298 failed asylum seekers and illegal migrants actually deported home).

Immigration

Overall, around 166,000 new applications for visas, residence, protection or citizenship were received last year by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service.

At the end of 2013, some 120,000 non-European Economic Area had permission to remain in the State, compared to 121,000 at the end of 2012.

The current top six nationalities are as follows:

• India (11 per cent)
• Brazil (10 per cent)
• China (9 per cent)
• Nigeria (8 per cent)
• USA (6 per cent)
• Philippines (6 per cent)

CSO stats show that the overall non-Irish national population accounts for 12 per cent of the total population, or some 544,000 people. Most of that number are from EU countries.

There were over 30,000 applications for citizenship last year, and 18 citizenship ceremonies were held.

Read: Column: Ireland’s treatment of asylum seekers is unfair – and bad value for money