The purpose of this study is to map the process of return, to their countries of origin, of applicants for international protection who have had their application rejected in Ireland. The study sets out to examine the challenges regarding effective return of rejected applicants to their countries of origin and policies and practices to overcome these challenges.
The study was originally prepared as the national contribution to the European Migration Network (EMN) study, The Return of rejected asylum seekers: Challenges and good practices (European Migration Network, 2016b).
The impetus to undertake the EMN study arose from the exponential increase in the number of applications for international protection (asylum) in the EU since 2014, and the consequent increase in the number of rejected applications. The European Commission has stated that, in 2014, less than 40% of the total number of irregular migrants ordered to leave the EU departed effectively (European Commission, 2015, p. 2). The aim behind the EU-level study was to examine the challenges faced by Member States in returning third-country nationals, who have had their applications for international protection rejected, to third countries, and to examine approaches taken by Member States to address these challenges
