Naturalisation and Citizenship: Statements Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-24 ============================================================ Pauline Tully (SF), Cultural and Educational Panel Irish citizenship is something to be valued. It represents membership of our nation, it carries rights and responsibilities and it should reflect a genuine and lasting commitment to Ireland. Sinn Féin believes migration must be managed in the best interests of people across Ireland, while recognising our need for workers in key sectors, the pressures on housing and public services and our humanitarian obligations to those fleeing war and persecution. It is a priority to ensure that those who legally make Ireland their long-term home are fully integrated into our society and communities. We recognise that migrants make an enormous contribution to Ireland, including in our public services, economy and communities. Any reforms must recognise and respect that contribution. International evidence shows that the best way to achieve integration is through a clear, transparent and fair pathway to citizenship that encourages civic participation, community involvement and a genuine connection to the country. Sinn Féin recognises that any changes to decision rules can create uncertainty for those seeking to acquire Irish citizenship and this needs to be considered. We are also conscious that delays in residence permit renewals have caused unnecessary anxiety and uncertainty for many people who have made their lives here and those delays must be addressed as a matter of urgency. I regularly encounter people whose residence permits are about to expire. They apply in good time for renewal but are often left with a gap where their residence permit has not been renewed and they cannot continue to work. Their employer has to let them go for a period of time until that residence permit is renewed. That delay in the system needs to be addressed. For many applicants, delays in renewing residence permits and the absence of a long-term residency option are major reasons why they feel pressure to pursue citizenship as quickly as possible. As the number of citizenship applications has grown, it is right to examine whether the current system remains fit for purpose and whether it properly reflects the significance of Irish citizenship. For too long, successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have failed to develop a coherent citizenship policy. The current system relies heavily on length of residence, broad ministerial discretion and rules that are often unclear to applicants. The time spent in Ireland matters but on its own it does not demonstrate integration, contribution, good character or indeed a commitment to Irish society. We believe citizenship should be acquired through a structured and transparent pathway that reflects both the privileges and the responsibilities that come with it. We support stronger clearer more consistent citizenship rules. Citizenship must not be reduced to a passport acquired simply through the passage of time and equally it must not be a privilege available only to the wealthy. Greater emphasis should be placed on integration, civic participation, community contribution and understanding of Irish society as well as language, be that Irish, English or Irish Sign Language. Work, education, caring responsibilities, volunteering, tax compliance and participation in community life should all be recognised as evidence of contribution and integration. We want to see a pathway to Irish citizenship for people in the North who have legally moved to the North, including those married to Irish citizens and who meet the same conditions as apply in the South. We also believe that people who have lawfully built their lives in Ireland should have access to a secure long-term residence status. Citizenship should not be the only route to certainty and stability. The question of whether transitional arrangements should be put in place for people who have established their lives in Ireland under the existing rules with expectations around when they could apply for citizenship based on reckonable residency must be examined. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-24/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-24