Migrants protest proposed citizenship reforms outside Leinster House

Members of Ireland’s migrant community gathered outside Leinster House on Tuesday to demand the scrapping of government proposals that would raise the residency requirement for citizenship and introduce a salary threshold.

The draft changes would increase the reckonable residency period from five to eight years, require applicants to meet a minimum salary, and bar anyone who has received social welfare in the two years before applying.

Sumyrah Khan, who arrived in Ireland six years ago, said the proposals “place a price tag on citizenship” and accused the Government of using migrants as scapegoats for wider housing and cost‑of‑living problems. She urged TDs and Senators present to oppose the bill, noting it is not yet law.

Pretty Ndawo, a South African who moved to Ireland in 2022, warned the changes could delay family reunification and argued that only “rich migrants” would be able to become citizens. She called for people to stand up against policies she described as driven by hate and discrimination.

Neil Bruton, director of Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, called the proposals “the latest in a string of anti‑migrant policies” and said essential workers such as healthcare assistants and factory staff may be excluded. He said there is no identified problem with the current citizenship process and urged the bill be withdrawn.

Pre‑legislative scrutiny of the measures is due to begin in the Oireachtas Justice Committee later this month, after a delay caused by a lack of available rooms. Some TDs fear Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan may try to rush the legislation before Christmas.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Markus Spiske / Pexels.