Applications for asylum in the Republic fell to their lowest level in a decade last year, Government figures reveal.
Some 3,985 people sought refugee status in the State in 2007, the lowest annual total since 1997.
When transfer orders - under which asylum seekers are returned to the EU country where they first arrived - are taken into account, the number of applications to be processed last year falls to 3,760.
A further 776 people were either forced to leave the Republic or voluntarily left after failing to secure asylum status.
The largest share of applicants came from Nigeria (26 per cent), followed by Iraq (7 per cent), China (6.5 per cent), Pakistan (5 per cent) and Georgia (4 per cent). In 2006 the top five countries for asylum applications were Nigeria, Sudan, Romania, Iraq and Iran.
Last year's total number of applications represents a 66 per cent decrease on the 2002 total - 11,634 applications were received during that year.
Reflecting a general decline in asylum figures across the Continent, fewer people have been claiming refugee status in Ireland in recent years.
This is due in part to a change in citizenship rules and the coming into effect of the so-called Dublin II regulation stipulating that asylum must be sought in the applicant's first EU country of arrival.
The Government believes its efforts to combat abuses of the asylum system and its reform of the process have also influenced the downward trend.
Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan welcomed the latest figures, which he said would allow the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) to focus more on visas, citizenship and other immigration functions.
Mr Lenihan said the forthcoming Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill would comprehensively overhaul immigration law and provide for a "more streamlined removals process".
"I am satisfied that the implementation of the new Bill when enacted, together with other related developments such as the major IT projects being developed in the areas of fingerprinting, visas and case management, will enhance the capacity and effectiveness of the INIS to provide a 'one stop shop' for immigration, protection, visas and citizenship services," he added.
However, the chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, Robin Hanan, said he was concerned about the new figures given the global increase in refugee numbers.
"Every country in the world has an obligation to provide protection to someone who needs refuge and to assess them. Our problem is that the level of proof you need to actually win an asylum case in Ireland is unrealistically high," he said.
Mr Hanan also expressed concern at comments made by Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan, who blamed cases taken by a "voracious group of barristers" for the "grief and difficulty" surrounding the asylum process.
"The Minister's questioning of the right of lawyers to defend asylum seekers, one of the most vulnerable groups in the country, is a sinister development," Mr Hanan said.
"The independence of the legal system from government interference is one of the foundations of any democratic system. As his Taoiseach has stressed many times recently, everyone has a right to a fair hearing.
"The Minister must be aware that the Refugee Legal Service, which operates independently under a mandate from the Department of Justice, only takes judicial review cases where the case is very strong, and this is reflected in the number of these cases settled by the State before they reach court."