John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 622: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will intercede with his officials in the Garda National Immigration Bureau on behalf of persons (details supplied) in County Sligo; if he will allow these persons to apply for citizenship in view of the fact that they have been resident here for the past seven years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3282/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am informed by the Immigration Division of my Department that the people in question will need to travel to London to obtain Zimbabwean passports. They have been granted permission to remain in the State under EU Treaty Rights until 2009 and 2010 respectively. The people concerned may make an application to the Travel Documents Section of my Department to facilitate travel to London for this purpose. Upon receipt of their new Zimbabwean passports, the persons concerned should present themselves to the Local Registration Office of The Garda National Immigration Bureau to have their new passports endorsed with the appropriate permission to remain in the State. On the question of citizenship, it is open to the people concerned to apply for citizenship by making an application to the Citizenship Division of my Department.

The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation, as long as certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. These conditions are that the applicant must be of full age, or by way of exception, be a minor born in the State; be of good character; 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; intend in good faith to continue to reside in the State after naturalisation; and have made, either before a Judge of the District Court in open court or in such a manner as the Minister, for special reasons allows, a declaration in the prescribed manner, of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State. 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; and periods granted for the purposes of seeking recognition as a refugee within the meaning of the Refugee Act 1996.