Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
606. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the progress to date in the determination of an application for citizenship in the case of persons (details supplied); and when the applications are expected to be finalised. [68870/26]
View answerThe naturalisation applications referred to by the Deputy continue to be processed by my Department.
These applications are based on section 16, "Irish Associations", which can take longer to process than applications based on residency.
Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted. Section 16 of the Act provides for the waiver of the statutory conditions, including the five-year residency requirement, in certain circumstances. This includes where the applicant is a direct descendant of a person who is or was an Irish citizen (for example, a grandparent), has a family connection to an Irish citizen (including by blood, adoption or civil partnership), or is related by affinity, meaning a close relationship through a spouse's family.
Last year, my Department published new guidelines for applications on the basis of Irish associations under section 16(1)(a) of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. These guidelines set out the factors that may be considered when deciding whether to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or has Irish associations. Details of the guidelines are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-an-irish-citizen-guide/
Applicants can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s Customer Service Portal. They can register for, or log in to, their account at: https://portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/.
As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, using the Oireachtas Mail facility at: IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, 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 Question process.
