Ireland Weighs Tightening Citizenship With Longer Residency and Language Proficiency Requirements

Ireland, known for handing out citizenship to Irish descendants born in other countries, is considering toughening requirements for people living in the country who wish to become citizens. The new rules on the table would include lengthening the time foreign-born residents must live in the country and passing an English language test.The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, will formally introduce the rules to the cabinet on Wednesday. They will stipulate that any foreign-born individuals seeking Irish citizenship be a resident in-country for eight years, up from five currently. The requirement was raised to five years from three in 2025. The requirement also would increase to five years from three residency for non-Irish spouses of citizens.The new citizenship rules — under the draft Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2026 — also contain rules for applicants to prove they are self-sufficient and social welfare restrictions.Along with passing an English proficiency exam, applicants would have to have a working knowledge of Irish civics, including how the government operates. The law would also bar individuals from receiving citizenship if they break immigration laws, and it streamlines the process to revoke citizenship on national security grounds.Mr. O’Callaghan said the proposal is “the biggest reform of Ireland’s citizenship rules in a generation.” He has noted that Ireland’s population has been growing at a rate seven times higher than the rest of Europe and “requires a policy response.”Ireland’s prime minister, Micheál Martin, said that the citizenship rules would help bring Ireland in line with other European countries. International protection applications have sharply fallen since a European Union migration pact with sweeping rules to reform asylum and border security procedures went into effect across the bloc this year. They are aimed at cutting down on migrants illegally crossing into member states.“We have a firmer and more robust migration system now, and numbers of those seeking asylum is reducing, and has reduced over the last 12 months,” Mr. Martin said at a recent conference.Nearly 235,000 people have become Irish citizens since 2021, according to the Irish Examiner. Slightly more than 26,400 people were granted naturalization last year. Ireland had the fifth highest number of new citizens relative to its total population, the European Commission notes. Top home countries for new Irish citizens are Romania, Poland, India, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.The County Laois Peace Commissioner, Elaine Mullally, called the proposal a positive development. “MORE evidence that our voices are actually being heard, we are making progress!” Ms. Mullally said in an X post. “We shouldn’t have to fight for this, but we will take wins when we can,” she added.The Labour Party’s justice spokesperson, Alan Kelly, criticized the increased residency requirement. “Increasing the wait for citizenship from five years to eight years looks far more like an exercise in political positioning than a serious attempt to improve our immigration system,” Mr. Kelly said.The head of the nonprofit immigration support group, Doras, called the proposal harsh and unnecessary. “It appears to be punishing people who have contributed quite a lot in most cases to Irish society and the economy,” John Lannon told Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ.The proposal would not impact applicants seeking citizenship through Irish ancestry or descent.

Ireland Weighs Tightening Citizenship With Longer Residency and Language Proficiency Requirements

Ireland Weighs Tightening Citizenship With Longer Residency and Language Proficiency Requirements

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