Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 118: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will re-examine an application for a certificate of naturalisation for a person (details supplied) in County Wexford as they claim to have been here for the required period of time. [13707/07]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, requires that the applicant must have had a period of one year's continuous residency in the State immediately before the date of the application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence in the State amounting to four years.

In the context of naturalisation, certain periods of residence in the State are excluded. These include:

periods of residence in respect of which an applicant does not have permission to remain in the State

periods granted for the purposes of study

periods granted for the purposes of seeking recognition as a refugee within the meaning of the Refugee Act, 1996.

An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's question was received in the Citizenship section of my Department on 8 September 2006. On examination of the application it was determined that the person concerned did not satisfy the statutory residency requirements and was deemed ineligible to apply. The applicant was informed of this on 23 January 2007.

It is open to the applicant to lodge a new application if and when he is in a position to meet the statutory requirements applicable at that time.