As I have referred to previously, the main driver of inward migration is not asylum but the demand for workers from outside of Ireland. Between the beginning of 2020 and the end of March this year, a total of 152,917 people from outside of the EU and EEA area have been granted work permits.
When one takes into account the fact that many people who have been granted a permit then bring at least one dependent then this figure can be seen to contribute greatly to the officially recorded increase in population – over half, in fact, according to the official estimates.
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