Nearly 63,000 people were refused visas for travel to Ireland over the past two years, with citizens of some countries facing rejection rates of over 90 percent.
More than 321,000 visa applications were granted in 2024 and 2025, according to figures released by the Department of Justice.
In 2025, visa decisions were made concerning 72,137 people from India, with 92.4 percent of all applications granted.
At the other extreme, people from Burundi had a less than one-in-twelve chance of being allowed to travel to Ireland.
Of the 136 decisions made on applications from the small East African country, only 8.1 percent of people – 11 in total – were granted visas.
Overall, there were more than 205,000 applications made to the State last year for business, work, or leisure, with decisions made in around 195,000 cases.
The visa was approved in 161,084 cases while 34,089 applications were rejected – a success rate of 82.5 percent.
Internal documentation also details "tips for processing visas"
The Department of Justice had originally refused to release the information saying it would have an adverse effect on immigration controls.
The data, which provides a country-by-country breakdown of decisions, was only released following an appeal to the Information Commissioner under FOI laws.
Internal documentation also details "tips for processing visas" and things to watch out for when processing applications.
It said officials should be on alert for passports that were tampered with and cases where an individual had ever overstayed a visa previously.
They were also told to watch out for replacement passports, which could be used to conceal travel history.
"[They] are often obtained to hide previous visa refusals," said the guidance document.
Officials were also told to "trust your instincts" and "don't be afraid to make a decision."
Another warning concerned large cash sums being placed in bank accounts shortly before planned travel.
Instead, visa officers were told to look for six months of bank statements as well as payslip evidence from applicants.
The guidance also said applications could be granted for "exceptional circumstances [or] compassionate grounds" even when other criteria were not met.
One piece of advice said officials should be objective in their use of language.
"Anything you write on an application can be seen by the applicant or their legal representative under Freedom of Information or through the legal process of judicial review," it said.
Internal manuals also detail assessments on the likelihood of a person overstaying their visa, breaching the Common Travel Area with the UK, or becoming a burden on the State.
Travel history, financial stability, and previous immigration compliance are all listed as key factors when deciding whether permission should be granted.
Highest failure rates for visas tend to be African countries
An analysis of the Department of Justice data shows the highest failure rates for visas tended to be African countries.
The lowest rate was for Burundi (8.1 percent), with a similarly low figure applying to applications from Cameroon (9 percent).
Citizens of Togo had only a 16.9 percent chance of being granted a visa, while people from Gambia were successful in 28.6 percent of cases.
Of the ten lowest rates of approval, all were African states, including Guinea, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Djibouti, and Malawi.
Some countries had a 100 percent success rate although this was based on a small number of applications from Bhutan, Montenegro, and Papua New Guinea.
The figures also showed that 94.5 percent of applications from Russia were granted compared to 74 percent from the Palestinian National Authority.
Of the 16,511 applications from China finalised last year, nearly 95 percent were approved.
Other countries with a high volume of people seeking visas for travel or work included South Africa, with 12,500 cases dealt with, of which 93.1 percent were granted.
There were a further 13,662 requests for visas from citizens of Pakistan, but the approval rate there was less than 53 percent.
The Department of Justice also said there were 245 visa decisions in cases involving 'stateless’ people – of which 86.9 percent were granted.
