Officials linked Jordanian asylum rise to UK visa change

Department of Justice officials in Ireland have linked a "marked increase" in Jordanian asylum seekers to British visa changes - months before the loophole was eventually closed, according to documents released to RTÉ News under Freedom of Information.

The UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme was opened to citizens of Jordan in February 2024 and access to the scheme was revoked in October of that year.

It allowed people who obtained them to travel visa-free to the UK for £10.

In an email on 27 May 2024, with the subject header "Arrivals to Ireland through NI", department officials here noted there "were very few Jordanian applicants in January & February of 2024 - 6 applicants in January, and 23 applicants in February".

It says that the UK "introduced a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Scheme for Jordanian nationals, commencing 22nd February 2024".

It also details that Jordanian applications rose in the following months to 127 in March, 140 in April and 328 in May, up until the date that email was sent.

"The UKs (sic) new ETA is believe(d) to be the link with the rise in applications of Jordanian nationals in Ireland in 2024," officials stated.

In a follow up email in early June, officials again pointed to the UK’s ETA as the reason for the increase.

"Continued increase in Jordanian applications anecdotally entering Ireland through the UK on foot of ETA’s (sic). Jordanian nationals represented the nationality with the highest amount of applications in May - 422," the email noted.

"This is a marked increase since the start of the year, when applications in January numbered 6, and February numbered 23. We are aware that in February of this year that the UK introduced a new ETA for Jordanian nationals."

By July, the number of Jordanians had claimed asylum so far that year had risen to over 1,000.

In late July, the then-Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced Jordanian arrivals would be subjected to "accelerated processing" due to the large number of arrivals.

By September, the number of Jordanian asylum seekers stood at over 1,600 according to the Government’s IPAS statistics.

Department officials here were in contact with each other on 10 September to confirm that the UK was removing Jordan from the ETA.

"UK Govt have just published legislation which removes Jordan from ETA. I can't post the link - I'm using an iPad - but if you search for 'Statement of changes to immigration rules 2024' you can see the legislation and explanatory note. People can travel up to Oct 8 if they have flights booked and an ETA purchased," an official said.

The explanatory memorandum published by the UK Government specifically cited Ireland and the increase of international protection applicants seen over the previous six months as a reason for withdrawing Jordan from the scheme.

It also said that removing them from ETA would "support the integrity and effective functioning of the Common Travel Area".

By 13 October, after the UK closed its ETA to Jordan, there were 2,083 Jordanians claiming asylum here, according to Government figures.