Starting next week, individuals from Botswana and South Africa will have to secure a visa before they can enter Ireland. The decision was revealed by Helen McEntee, Ireland’s Justice Minister. Before this new rule, the Republic did not require citizens of either country to have a visa when travelling to Ireland, which are both deemed to be safe countries of origin.
The mandate was influenced by the influx of applications for international protection from South African and Botswana nationals. However, despite this notable increase, neither nation was listed among the top five nationalities of the 9,000 applicants seen from January to May. Instead, the bulk of applications came from Nigerian citizens (2,843 in total), followed by individuals from Jordan (718), Pakistan (677), Bangladesh (600), and Somalia (586). In comparison, citizens from South Africa and Botswana filed below 500 applications overall.
McEntee pointed out that Botswana and South Africa were the only safe list countries that didn’t impose visa requirements on their citizens travelling to Ireland. She said, “This well-considered move aligns Ireland more closely with the Schengen Area for both of these countries, and parallels the UK with regards to South Africa.” She also emphasised that they continually review Irish visa prerequisites to ensure they have effective immigration control measures in place, while also welcoming those who want to visit, study, work, or join family in Ireland.
The Dublin visa office will create a dedicated ‘South Africa desk’ to handle visa applications from South African nationals, McEntee added. In addition, the Foreign Affairs Department will set up three visa application centres throughout South Africa in partnership with the visa service provider, Global VFS.
These developments stem from the spike in the number of asylum seekers arriving in Ireland. As of May’s end, the volume of individuals seeking international protection had more than doubled compared to the same timeframe last year. The government is also rolling out an expedited processing period for citizens of the nation with the highest volume of asylum applications, even if it’s a safe country of origin, which currently pertains to Nigeria.
In the initial half of the current year, police apprehended approximately 115 individuals for showing up lacking the necessary identification, with a considerable amount found guilty. Enhanced inspections of documents for those entering from Northern Ireland have been implemented, given the growing indicators of individuals exploiting the land and maritime path from Britain via Northern Ireland as a method to infiltrate the State.