Only 34,700 Irish people emigrated to other countries in the 12 months ending in April last year while​ almost as many returned to Ireland.

The 30,000 returning Irishmen and Irish women were only 4,700 fewer than those who left.

The evidence, in short, is that the Irish are largely happy to stay in the Emerald Isle.

That’s one of the 2024 yearend highlights published by the Irish Central Statistics Office in January.

Irish legal immigration into the United States is a trickle even though there are occupational categories that allow it for professionals such as registered nurses.

Undocumented Irish immigrants typically enter the United States as tourists or on visits with family members who live here.

However, Irish tourism also dropped in 2024, according to official Irish government statistics. In the third quarter covering August through the end of September, only 177,000 Irish citizens visited the
United States or Canada, a drop of 25,000 from the same period in 2023.

North America is not a top international travel destination for the Irish. In the same period, they made 2.55 million trips to other countries that are part of the European Union. Another 1.18
million visits were made to other European countries in the EU.

Meanwhile, Ireland has become a destination for refugees from the Ukraine. Ireland issued 109,566 Personal Public Service Numbers for their temporary protection between March 2022 and September 2024.

In the United States, President Trump recently stopped all refugee resettlement from all
countries.