A record number of people from overseas settled in the Republic of Ireland last year, new figures show.
According to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, the organisation received 172,000 new applications for visas, residence and citizenship received last year.
The provisional figures show that at the end of 2014 there were approximately 95,000 non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals with permission to remain in the country. All non-EEA nationals remaining in the country for longer than 90 days are required to register with An Garda Síochána (the national police service).
The current top six registered nationalities – which account for over 50 per cent of all people registered – are Brazil (12 per cent), India (11 per cent), China (9 per cent), USA (7 per cent), Nigeria (6 per cent), and the Philippines (5 per cent). The majority of people with permission to remain in Ireland were there for work or study purposes.
Provisional figures also indicate that approximately 101,500 entry visa applications for both short and long stay visits were received in 2014, an increase of 6 per cent on 2013 and a cumulative increase of 22 per cent since 2011. The top 5 nationalities applying for temporary visas in 2014 were India (17 per cent), Russia (14 per cent), China (11 per cent), Nigeria (6 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (5 per cent).