New citizenship criteria may not apply to those already here, says Taoiseach

Citizenship residency requirement could rise from five to eight years.

Under the proposed reforms, the period of reckonable residence required before applying for Irish citizenship would increase from five years to eight years.

The comments will be of particular interest to people who are already several years into their residency in Ireland and could otherwise be affected by the change.

Speaking to reporters in New York, the Taoiseach was asked if the Government would consider an amendment for people who are already in Ireland.

“The Minister has outlined the broad framework governing the reform of citizenship rules. The details of that will be coming to government, and aspects, such as the one you've just mentioned will be looked at in terms of people who are already in the country, but I wait for the ministers to come back.”

When asked whether the change would be fair on people already part-way through the process, the Taoiseach said the Government would consider the issue.

“We'll wait for the ministers to come back in terms of the detail of that and we would be fair,” he said.

Martin also pointed to different circumstances involving people who have obtained residency in Ireland through the asylum system.

“On the other hand, there was a situation where some people coming through the asylum process, for a combination of reasons, some being the slowness of the administration of applications and holding of appeals, but many ended up in a legal situation and before you knew it, people were five years in the country and claiming citizenship, that did happen too.”

The Taoiseach then distinguished this from people who came to Ireland through employment permits.

“You have people working here, who came in through work permits and so forth, and we understand that they've played by the rules as they exist to date,” he said.

He added that the issue would be discussed further before the final details of the reforms are brought forward.

“So, these are issues that fall for further discussion and the Minister made that clear to the Cabinet when he brought it to government, so he's working on the detail of it and will come back to us,” Martin said.

The proposed changes would also introduce a number of other requirements for citizenship applicants.

These include a civics test and a language test to demonstrate proficiency in either English or Irish.

Applicants will also have to show that they are self-sufficient and will not become a burden on the State, with the Minister for Justice expected to set a prescribed minimum income.

It is currently anticipated that the new rules will be in place before Christmas.