Refugee applications at lowest level since mid-90s

Fewer than 1,000 people applied for refugee status in Ireland last year – the lowest number since the mid-1990s, according to the annual report of the Refugee Applications Commissioner.

Last year’s 956 applications were down by 25.9 per cent on the 2011 figure. Most applicants came from Nigeria (17 per cent), Pakistan (11 per cent), Democratic Republic of Congo (6 per cent), Zimbabwe (5 per cent) and Albania (5 per cent). China and ...