THE AVERAGE TIME it takes for a standard application for International Protection in Ireland to be processed is more than a year and a half, new figures show.

Asylum seekers hoping to obtain refugee status in Ireland have to wait an average of 81 weeks (around 18 months) unless their application is accelerated.

The figures, which were provided by the Minister for Justice, gave the average wait time as the median, meaning that out of all the wait times, 81 weeks was the middle (median) of the list. 

Certain applications are processed under an accelerated track, including applications from citizens of countries with the largest number of applicants, applicants who have received protection elsewhere in Europe, and applicants from countries of origin that have been designated as ‘safe’.

The median processing time for an accelerated application is 18 weeks.

Appeals in 2024 took another ten months, both for accelerated and non-accelerated applications.

Appeals so far in 2025 took 11 months for accelerated applications and 14 months for other applications.

The figures were provided by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan in a response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy.

Reacting to the figures, Carthy said that “the sense that Ireland’s International Protection system is broken will be reinforced by this latest information”, calling the processing times “far too slow”.

“The efficient and timely processing of international protection applications is vital if the system is to be fair, is to work properly and have the confidence of the public,” Carthy said.

“These lengthy processing times are putting huge strains on the availability of accommodation and mean that often there is no accommodation for vulnerable people fleeing war and persecution,” he said.

“We have heard a lot of talk from Minister O’Callaghan about what he is going to do in relation to the migration system. These figures show that the government has not got on top of this issue and that it is still taking far too long to process applications.

“For the system to work there needs to be fast and fair decisions and greater follow up to ensure that those not eligible to be here actually leave.”

In his answer to the parliamentary question, O’Callaghan wrote: “I can assure the Deputy that I am fully committed to ensuring that Ireland’s International Protection system is robust and rules based, and that our borders are protected.

“In recent years there has been a significant increase in investment into the international protection system,” the minister said.

“This has allowed for a major increase in processing capacity and in 2024 the International Protection Office (IPO) delivered 14,156 first-decisions which was a 60% increase on the 8,873 first-decisions made in 2023. The International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) closed 3,098 appeals, an 82% increase on the 1,701 appeals completed in 2023,” he said.

“Increased staff levels, more investment in technology and infrastructure, and the increased use of Panel Members in the IPO and Tribunal Members in IPAT has allowed for a major increase in processing capacity.

“It is my intention to continue ramping up investment enabling more staff to be recruited. This will support reaching key targets, including making 25,000 decisions in the IPO in 2025 and increasing the number of appeals processed by the International Protection Appeals Tribunal.”