Citizenship

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

Family migration rules have been amended for people in Northern Ireland in line with the deal struck in January to restore devolution. Under the new immigration rules, family members of British or dual British-Irish citizens from Northern Ireland will be able to apply for status under the EU settlem

British citizenship laws should be rewritten to allow people born in Northern Ireland to choose whether to be treated as a British citizen or as an Irish citizen, a new report has recommended. London barrister Alison Harvey of No5 Chambers produced the legal analysis for the Irish Human Rights and E

A significant case concerning the lawfulness of the process under which Irish citizenship can be revoked will be considered by the Supreme Court under an expedited process. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission was today granted the role of amicus curiae in the case, Ali Charaf Damache v th

Proposals to reform family reunification rules for people in Northern Ireland have been welcomed by immigration rights campaigner Emma DeSouza. Speaking to Irish Legal News, Mrs DeSouza said the proposed changes would "lift a tremendous weight off many families", but warned that the proposals did no

The High Court in London has today ruled the £1,012 fee the Home Office charges children to register as British citizens is unlawful. In a case brought by the Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens (PRCBC), the court found a “mass of evidence” showing that the

Almost 2,000 people received Irish citizenship today in the first citizenship ceremonies to take place since a controversial High Court ruling five months ago. In an unexpected decision in July, Mr Justice Max Barrett ruled that the requirement for “one year’s continuous residence in the

The Court of Appeal has overturned a landmark High Court ruling which adopted an "unduly rigid" interpretation of the residency criteria for Irish citizenship applicants. In an unexpected decision in July, Mr Justice Max Barrett ruled that the requirement for “one year’s continuous resid

People who were born in Northern Ireland and identify as Irish are still British citizens, the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) has ruled. Tribunal judges ruled against immigration rights campaigner Emma DeSouza, who has been fighting to bring her husband to Northern Ireland as the fa

Fewer British passports and more Irish passports are being issued to residents of Northern Ireland, figures reveal. The number of British passports issued to people living in Northern Ireland has fallen from 129,550 in 2015 to 119,298 in 2018, The Irish Times reports.

Ciarán Ahern, associate in employment law at A&L Goodbody, writes on the urgent need for new legislation following a recent court ruling on the citizenship process. Last year, more than 10,000 people were granted Irish citizenship. In light of developments in the High Court in the past tw

The Government is treating a surprise High Court ruling which tightens the residence requirement for citizenship applicants as an "urgent priority", ministers have said. Last week, Mr Justice Max Barrett ruled that applicants for citizenship must not have left the State at all in the year leading up

A man whose application for citizenship was rejected because he spent 100 days outside the State in the year prior to his application has lost an application for judicial review of the decision in the High Court. Finding that the requirement for "one year's continuous residence in the State immediat