Ireland Imposes Visa on Botswana and South Africa

Ireland Imposes Visa on Botswana and South Africa

Citizens of Botswana and South Africa will be required to obtain a visa to travel to Ireland from next week under arrangements announced by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

People who have travelled from either country to Ireland have not until now required visas to enter the State. Both have also been designated as safe countries of origin.

The move is being taken in light of what the Department of Justice has described as “a significant number of international protection applications” being received from nationals of Botswana and South Africa.

Neither country featured in the top five nationalities of the more than 9,000 people who applied for international protection in the five months to the end of May.

Nearly one in three (2,843) applications were made by citizens of Nigeria, followed by Jordan (718), Pakistan (677), Bangladesh (600), and Somalia (586).

Ireland Imposes Visa on Botswana and South Africa

Ms. McEntee said South Africa and Botswana were the only countries on the safe list that did not require their citizens to obtain visas before traveling to Ireland.

“This is a carefully considered decision which will bring Ireland into closer alignment with the Schengen Area in respect of both of these countries, and into line with the UK in respect of South Africa,” she said.

“Irish visa requirements are kept under ongoing review, having regard to the need to ensure that effective immigration controls are in place whilst also facilitating those who wish to travel to Ireland for the purposes of a visit, to work, to study, or to join family members.”

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The Minister said the Dublin visa office would now establish a dedicated “South Africa desk” to process applications from South African nationals.