114,466 people from Ukraine have been granted International Protection status in Ireland since March 2022, however it is not possible to say how many have since left. That’s according to the Department of Justice, who relayed the information in response to a parliamentary question from Independent TD, Carol Nolan.
“While 3,369 permissions have been voluntarily withdrawn, as there are no routine exit checks on people leaving the State, it is not possible to say how many beneficiaries of temporary protection have left Ireland in total,” The Government Department, headed by new Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, wrote:
Offaly TD, Deputy Nolan, had asked the Minister for Justice for the total number of Ukrainian refugees who had been welcomed to Ireland since February 2022, as well as the total number of Ukrainians who have since left the State.
Last month, Minister O’Callaghan claimed that there were “too many people” not entitled to International Protection applying in Ireland. The Fianna Fáil politician told RTÉ radio’s This Week programme on Sunday that there needed to be a procedure whereby if someone comes to Ireland and is granted International Protection, “you stay, you’re welcome” but if they are refused “you leave, you’re gone”.
In its response, the Department of Justice referred to a publication concerning arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland, released by the Central Statistics Office on 23 October 2024. The analysis by the CSO estimated that around 75 per cent of those granted Temooray Protection were still in Ireland, with the estimation based on activity associated with PPSN numbers.
The latest Arrivals from Ukraine update from the CSO shows that of all arrivals, 61% of males and 48% of females were married or cohabiting. In January 2025, 23,803 arrivals had earnings from employment, where their mean weekly earnings were €501. The most common sector of employment was in Wholesale, Transport & Accommodation at 43%.
The CSO also noted that as of 02 February 2025, 48,568 arrivals had attended an employment support event arranged by Intreo Public Employment Services. Of those, 55% (or 26,554 people) noted that English language proficiency was a challenge in securing employment.
Of the 48,568 arrivals that attended an Intreo event, 21,690 had recorded previous occupations, with Professionals being the largest group at 31% (or 6,691 people). Of the 31,156 people where the highest level of education was recorded, 60% had achieved a qualification equivalent to NFQ level 7 or higher. There were 12,933 arrivals enrolled in further education and training courses on 01 February 2025, of which 9,036 were enrolled in further education English language courses.
The Justice Minister said that a new online platform should mean that it will become possible to advise on the number of International Protection applicants who have left Ireland.
In its response, the Department noted: “Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection can hold temporary permission to remain in Ireland as long as the Directive remains in force. This permission is renewable on an annual basis. Any beneficiaries of Temporary Protection that wish to avail of their permission up to 4 March 2026 must now apply to renew their permission using my Department’s online platform.
“This platform was launched on 25 February 2025 and my officials are currently processing renewal applications. I expect that when these renewal applications are complete, it will be possible to advise on the number of Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who have left Ireland.”