Ireland Paying Asylum Seekers to Return Home

Figures from the Department of Justice suggest that processing an average international protection application is estimated to cost €122,000 per person. This includes costs for accommodation and food, social protection payments, healthcare and education.

The cost of deportations is also considerable. Earlier this year, the department said a charter flight deporting 35 people to Nigeria had cost €325,000.

A voluntary return allowance of €1,200 per person or €2,000 per family is offered at present. Under this scheme, 1,159 people have already left the State by September 19th, 2025, an increase of 129 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.

There are safeguards in place for vulnerable people, and return requests can be refused if it would be unsafe for the person to return home, say officials. Additionally, the option is not offered to those convicted of serious criminality.

Participants can arrange their own return independently. Or they can be assisted with travel costs, financial aid and administrative support by the Voluntary Return Unit in the up, or through its partner, the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.

Several EU states and the UK operate similar voluntary return schemes, as countries grapple with increased numbers of asylum seekers and growing public resistance.