Where do migrants to Ireland come from?

The Republic of Ireland has become a popular destination for immigrants in the past decade. The factors in its favor include a strong economy and an immigration system which makes it easy for highly skilled immigrants to work in Ireland.

 

Apart from this, the immigration system here is not points-based and is conducive to help immigrants with the required skills and expertise to get a visa easily.

 

All these factors make Ireland an option for migrants to settle in. Settling down in the country gives free access to the European Union.  Further, those who acquire Irish citizenship are eligible to live and work in the UK without the need for a visa or a work permit under the ‘Common Area Travel Agreement’. Under this agreement, they are eligible to work or travel to other European countries as well.

 

Those who live in Ireland for five years can subsequently apply for citizenship. Also, non-EEA nationals need a work permit in order to work here.

 

Owing to these encouraging immigration policies of Ireland, the country has seen an increase of immigrants over the years. The number of immigrants in Ireland in 2020 is 23,064 out of a total population of 4,937786 people.

 

Apart from this, Ireland has always been a popular destination for immigrants for the last 50 years, particularly immigrants from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and the Czech Republic. In 2006, 10% of the population (420,000 people) were foreign nationals and a 2015 study revealed that almost 1 in 8 people living in Ireland were born abroad.

 

The diverse city of Dublin contains many groups of immigrants including Polish, Lithuanian, British, Latvian and Nigerian. Much of Ireland's diversity comes from people of  European origin, with about 5 percent of the population classified as non-white. Migration to Ireland is fairly common and the amount of immigration it receives makes it rank 28th in the world. In 2019 an estimated 622,700 non-Irish nationals were living in Ireland, making up 12.7% of the total population.

• Non-Irish nationals from outside the EU accounted for 30,600 (34.5%) of total immigrants in the country
• In 2019, 19,700 immigrants from the UK arrived in Ireland.

Here is a breakdown of the percentage of the immigrant population in Ireland in 2019

 

Country of origin	Percentage of the Irish population
UK	3.2
EU	11.5
Rest of the world	11.2

 

The migrant population in Ireland is expected to grow in the coming years. The conducive environment and immigration friendly policies of the country will be strong reasons for this.