Citizenship

Around 1,200 people have received Irish citizenship since a new temporary citizenship process was established 10 weeks ago. The statutory declaration process established on 18 January replaces the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizenship ceremonies, which have been temporarily su

Children born in Ireland to parents who are not Irish citizens will be able to gain Irish citizenship sooner under new government plans. The government will include the necessary legislative changes in a forthcoming bill following discussions between Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Labour Senator

New legislation will have to be passed by the Oireachtas before any naturalised Irish citizens can be stripped of their citizenship following a Supreme Court ruling. Having ruled last year that sections 19(2) and (3) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 are repugnant to the constitution

Ireland's human rights watchdog has urged the Supreme Court to strike down the law on revocation of citizenship in its entirety. Judges are continuing to consider what declaration to make following their ruling last October that the procedure set out under section 19 of the Irish Nationality and Cit

Justice Minister Helen McEntee has today opened a temporary system which will enable citizenship applicants to complete their naturalisation process by signing a statutory declaration of loyalty. This signed statutory declaration replaces the requirement for citizenship applicants to attend citizens

Proposed legislation to allow children who were born in Ireland and have lived in the State for three years to be considered for Irish citizenship may receive government backing. Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, a qualified barrister and legal academic, introduced the Irish Nationality and Citizenship (N

Senator Ivana Bacik, a qualified barrister and legal academic, makes the case for the government to support the Labour Party's Citizenship Bill. Throughout the past year, despite the horrific consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic for so many individuals, families and societies, both in this country

The Supreme Court has held that the current statutory procedure for the revocation of naturalised citizenship is unconstitutional. Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne held that there were insufficient safeguards contained in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 s.19.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the existing procedure to revoke Irish citizenship from people who acquire Irish nationality is unconstitutional. Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne, handing down her ruling in Ali Charaf Damache v the Minister for Justice and Equality today, said there were insufficient saf

Retired judge Mr Justice John Hedigan has been appointed to make decisions on whether or not to disclose information relied upon in citizenship applications refused because of national security concerns. Mr Justice Hedigan, who retired from the Court of Appeal two years ago, will serve for up to thr

The UK Supreme Court will consider next month whether Shamima Begum should be allowed to enter the UK to take part in her appeal over the decision to deprive her of her British citizenship.

Irish citizenship laws should be amended to clarify the requirement for applicants to be of "good character", a law lecturer has said. Bashir Otukoya, a lecturer at Griffith College Dublin (GCD), told the Dublin InQuirer that "good character" is poorly defined and open to interpretation.

New immigration rules allowing for family members of people in Northern Ireland to apply for status under the EU settlement scheme have come into force. The revised rules specify that a "relevant person of Northern Ireland" – meaning a British citizen, an Irish citizen, or British-Irish dual c

The process under which Irish citizenship can be revoked lacks robust procedural safeguards, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said. The human rights watchdog appeared remotely before the Supreme Court yesterday as amicus curiae in the high-profile case Ali Charaf Damache v the Mini

The high-profile legal battle between campaigner Emma DeSouza and the Home Office has come to an end following changes to the Immigration Rules. Mrs DeSouza took legal action in 2015 after her husband Jake was denied a residence card sought as the spouse of an EEA national rather than the spouse of