Skip to main content
Normal View

Naturalisation Eligibility

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 February 2019

Thursday, 21 February 2019

Questions (114)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

114. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the children of a person (details supplied) are likely to be approved for naturalisation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8956/19]

View answer

Written answers

I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that there is no record of a current application for a certificate of naturalisation on behalf of the persons referred to by the Deputy. An application for naturalisation was received on behalf of the first named child, however it was returned in its entirety on 9 January 2019 as it was not completed on the correct application form. As the Deputy will appreciate, determination on whether an applicant satisfies the statutory criteria attendant to naturalisation can only be made after a valid application is received.

Where sections 6A and 6B of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, are applicable, a child born in the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 has an entitlement to Irish citizenship if, at the time of the birth of the child, one of his or her parents had, during the period of 4 years immediately preceding the person's birth, been resident in the island of Ireland for a period of not less than 3 years or periods the aggregate of which is not less than 3 years. Periods of unlawful residence, periods of residence which were for the sole purpose of having an application for refugee status determined or periods of residence where permission was granted for the purposes of study are excluded from the determination of periods of reckonable residence. Entitlement of a child to Irish citizenship is determined by the Passport Office following receipt of an application for a passport on the child's behalf.

Where a child born in the State did not at birth have an entitlement to Irish citizenship, the parent or guardian or person who is in loco parentis to the child may lodge an application for naturalisation on behalf of the child if and when the conditions for naturalisation are satisfied, including a requirement to have 5 years residence in the State.

The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and I know the Deputy will appreciate that it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.

Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.

Top
Share