Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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582. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the conditions which currently apply for an application for Irish citizenship; his views on whether these conditions are currently too lax and need to be tightened; if individuals who are granted asylum status receive any preferential treatment or fast track in relation to citizenship applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35917/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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All applications for a certificate of naturalisation are assessed individually in accordance with the provisions of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. There are no plans to revise the current provisions.

Applicants are required to have 5 years reckonable residence in the State prior to making an application, except for spouses of Irish nationals where the requirement is 3 years. In all cases, the final 12 months must be continuous residence in the State with up to 70 days allowed to facilitate foreign travel for business family or holiday purposes.

Individuals who have been granted refugee status under the International Protection Act 2015 may apply for Irish citizenship after three years of reckonable residence in the State from the date they are declared a refugee; it should be noted that the time spent in the State prior to being granted international protection is not counted as reckonable residence for this purpose.

Given the importance of citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks take place on each application. Under Section 15 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended, all applicants are required to satisfy the good character criterion. As part of this assessment, An Garda Síochána is requested to make enquiries into the applicant’s background; the detail and extent of which is a matter for An Garda Síochána. For sound security and operational reasons, it is not the practice to comment on the enquiries that may be conducted.

Detailed information on how to apply for naturalisation and other resources is available on my Department’s Immigration website here: www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/