€1.2 billion, up from €1.005 billion in 2024
As of early 2026, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has identified the state’s expenditure on asylum accommodation as “unsustainable,” with costs for 2025 rising to €1.2 billion, up from €1.005 billion in 2024. The average cost to process and accommodate an international protection applicant is roughly €122,000.
Key figures and context provided by Minister O’Callaghan include:
- Total Spend: The 2025 spend for accommodation increased by 19% to €1.2 billion.
- Per Person Costs: Accommodation in the private sector costs approximately €30,000 per person annually, while State-owned entities cost €12,000.
- Measures to Reduce Costs: A new rate card for accommodation providers was introduced to renegotiate existing contracts.
- Incentive Scheme: A proposal to pay €10,000 to families to voluntarily withdraw asylum claims was introduced to reduce long-term system costs.
- Border Statistics: O’Callaghan noted that 88% of international protection applicants enter via the Northern Ireland border.
- System Integrity: Measures include stricter definitions for “good character” in naturalisation, a €950 fee for successful applicants, and potential revocation of status for serious criminals.
The 2025 spend was described by the Minister as an “eye-watering” amount, prompting initiatives to reduce the overall financial burden.
Jim O’Callaghan is the Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, a role in which he has provided figures showing that state spending on asylum accommodation alone reached €1.2 billion in 2025.
Key Figures and Costs
Minister O’Callaghan has released several figures relating to the cost of the international protection system and the new measures being introduced.
- Total Accommodation Cost (2025): The total state spending on asylum accommodation in 2025 was €1.2 billion, an increase from €1.005 billion in 2024.
- Cost per Applicant: The current indicative cost of an applicant spending an average of 29 months in the international protection process is estimated at €122,000 per person.
- Projected Cost Reduction: Under the new International Protection Bill 2026, which aims for a nine-month process, the projected cost per applicant is estimated to drop to €49,000, a 60% reduction.
- Deportation Flights: Ireland spent more than €2.8 million on deportation flights in 2025.
Total spend: Over €2.8 million.Charter flights:
Six dedicated operations cost nearly €1.3 million, removing 205 people (an average of about €6,243 per person). - Five of these flights repatriated 182 failed asylum seekers (primarily to Georgia, Pakistan, and Nigeria),
while one removed 23 EU citizens convicted of crimes. - Commercial flights: An additional €1.5 million was spent on individual or smaller-group removals using regular airline seats, often with Garda escorts.
Overall enforcement: 4,700 deportation orders were signed in 2025 (nearly double the previous year), and 2,111 people had their departures confirmed under deportation processes—an 88% increase from 2024. - Accommodation Contribution: New proposals are being considered to charge working asylum seekers living in state accommodation between €15 to €238 per week as a contribution towards costs
It is completely off the charts spending. It has to be stopped.
Key Takeaways
- In 2025, the state’s spending on asylum accommodation reached €1.2 billion, up from €1.005 billion in 2024.
- The average cost to process an international protection applicant is approximately €122,000.
- New measures include an incentive scheme that offers €10,000 to families who withdraw asylum claims to reduce costs.
- Ireland spent over €2.8 million on deportation flights in 2025, with a significant rise in deportation orders.
- Projected costs per applicant may drop to €49,000 under the new International Protection Bill 2026, a 60% reduction.
