My Department is committed to reducing processing times for international protection applicants and is taking steps to ensure that applications are dealt with as quickly as possible.
On November 8 2022, the International Protection Office (IPO) of my Department introduced accelerated procedures for international protection applicants from safe countries of origin. Applicants from a safe country of origin receive a date for interview date on the same day that they apply for international protection. The International Protection Office have Cultural Mediators and translation services available to support applicants in completing their international protection application on the day.
An applicant from a safe country of origin is afforded the opportunity to submit grounds, in writing and/or at interview, as to why their country is not safe for them and those grounds are given due consideration. Furthermore, all applicants have the right to appeal a negative recommendation by the IPO to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT)
The current median time application date to determination date is 81 days.
Median figures are collated rather than an average, as cases with unusually long or short processing times can skew the data. The median figure is more representative of the typical processing time.
My Department does not maintain statistics in a manner that would provide a detailed breakdown of recognition rates for recommendations sorted by country of origin.
Overall, my Department is working to minimise the timeframe for receiving a decision on an international protection application, allowing those eligible to remain the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Those who are not entitled to the protection of the State will also be advised of that fact as quickly as possible.
