Over €1.6m spent on helping people leave Ireland

Ken Foxe

The number of migrants applying for help to return home almost doubled last year as the State spent over €1.6 million helping people leave Ireland.

More than 2,300 people asked for assistance to go back to their own country last year, a sharp increase from the 1,249 who applied in 2024.

Almost all applications were approved, with fewer than 70 people told they would not get help from the State.

Spending on voluntary returns last year totalled €1.61 million, with nearly €695,000 spent on grants and a further €916,000 on flights and accommodation.

The grants, which can range from €1,200 for individuals to €10,000 for families – are intended to help migrants get re-established in their own country.

The money is typically given on a pre-paid debit card when leaving the State and can be used immediately on return home.

Spending on the scheme in 2024 came to €1.06 million, according to figures released under FOI laws.

That was comprised of €285,000 in reintegration grants and €779,000 in costs for airfares and accommodation.

The total paid out in individual grants over the past two years was around €684,000 with a further €295,000 paid out to families.

Citizens of Georgia accounted for more than 20 per cent of the total applications under the scheme, the Department of Justice said.

In 2025, there were 2,315 people who asked for assistance in returning home, of whom 526 were Georgian.

Also included in that total were 420 Brazilians, 342 citizens of Jordan, and 107 people from Nigeria.

There were also 38 applications from individuals from the United States, 12 from Russia, and 61 from Palestine.

The data also showed voluntary return applications were made by five people from Canada and nine from Israel.

Nearly every application for assistance is granted. Last year, just 40 people were told they were not eligible for the scheme compared to 26 in 2024.

The scheme is only available once, and, unlike deportation, can allow people to return to Ireland at a future date.

A spokesman for the Department of Justice said voluntary return was their “preferred option” and a more cost-effective option for the taxpayer.

He said: “Financial reintegration assistance, which can only be availed of once, is provided when the person has departed the State.

“Not all participants in the Voluntary Return programme immediately pursue their reintegration assistance upon leaving the State, and some may not pursue it at all.”

The spokesman said that the figures provided by the department were, therefore, subject to change and could rise in future.