Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

849. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons deported by the State and the number issued with a deportation order respectively over the past five years who had previously held a stamp 2 visa; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47942/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is a central priority for me that Ireland’s immigration system is robust and rules based. The enforcement aspects of our laws, including deportation orders, are an essential requirement for the system to work effectively and to ensure that there is confidence in the application of our legislation in this area.

All people residing in Ireland on a Stamp 2 immigration permission must abide by the rules of their student permission. If their immigration permission has or is expiring, then they must leave the State. Any person found to be in the State without an immigration permission enters into our removal processes.

Deportations are costly and complex to enforce. It is the preferred option to return people voluntarily and my Department has a voluntary return programme to assist people to return prior to the issuance of a deportation order. A person can only avail of voluntary return before a deportation order is issued and I have increased resources into this programme to enable persons who wish to return before a deportation order is issued to them.

In 2024, 934 people left Ireland by way of voluntary return. This year 1,140 people have left Ireland by way of voluntary return up to 12 September 2025, which is an increase of 143% compared to the same period in 2024.

The number of deportation orders signed in 2024 (2,403) increased by 180% compared to 2023 (857). This year 2,846 deportation orders have been signed up to 12 September 2025.

If a person does not remove themselves from the State following the issuance of a deportation order, they will be removed. So far this year three charter flight operations have removed 106 people who were subject to deportation orders from the State with a further 129 removed on commercial airlines. Further charter operations and removals on commercial aircraft will be conducted as the year progresses. So far in 2025, a total of 1,436 people departed from the State under various mechanisms (i.e. enforced deportation, voluntary return etc.).

My Department does not hold data regarding the number of deportation orders made against people who had previously held a stamp 2 immigration permission. Any previous immigration permissions are recorded on the person’s individual record and are given careful consideration before a deportation order is made. However, establishing the number of people who held a Stamp 2 permission would require a manual examination of a large number of records. Such an examination would be voluminous in nature, require a significant amount of staff time and resources and could not be warranted.

However, the tables below detail information in relation to deportation in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 up to 12 September 2025.

Table 1. Deportation orders signed from 2021 to 2025

** Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

Table 2. Deportations 2021 to 2025

* Please note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing.

1. Otherwise confirmed deportation is where it has been confirmed the individual has left the state following receipt of a deportation order without being escorted.

As there are no routine exit checks at Irish borders, it is not possible to accurately provide the number of people who are currently in Ireland subject to deportation orders. While over 300 of the people subject to deportation orders above have confirmed they have left the State independently, since 2020, it is the case that a significantly larger number of individuals who were subject to Deportation Orders have left the State without notifying the relevant authorities.

I am informed that the Garda National Immigration Bureau has reviewed a large sample of cases of persons subject to deportation orders; their inquiries suggest a very significant number of these individuals have left the State.