Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2024
560. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Justice if a person with refugee status in Ukraine, who is legally resident in Ireland due to the war in Ukraine, can apply for Irish citizenship as he has no passport from his own country and no prospect of getting one as he is a refugee; or if he becomes entitled to apply for Irish citizenship after 5 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25384/24]
View answerEU Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 applied the provisions of the Temporary Protection Directive to persons displaced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including persons recognised as refugees in Ukraine. The Council Implementing Decision was extended to March 2025 at a meeting of the European Council last September. Discussions on the arrangements for beneficiaries of Temporary Protection after March 2025, when the Directive is no longer active, are ongoing, both within the Government and at an EU level, in recognition of the need for certainty for beneficiaries of temporary protection in the EU. These discussions include the residency conditions for beneficiaries of Temporary Protection when the Directive is no longer active in March 2025. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot pre-empt future discussions and decisions of either the EU or the Government. The granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is governed by the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are processed and assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Act. Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted. The conditions include that applicants must have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application. There is no exemption from these requirements for beneficiaries of Temporary Protection in Ireland.
