Application for Citizenship - what next?

[Fionn]

Hi Everybody,

I sent me application for Irish Citizenship last week. Does anybody know what comes next. Do I have to check if everything is alright? How long do I have to wait before I get an answer or at least an update?


Thanks in advance for any fed back

F.

[marialear]

Good morning,

In about 1-2 weeks from posting it, you should/will recieve a letter from the Dept of Justice stating that they got your application and will issue you a reference number 69/?????. Keep this number handy as you will have to give it if you contact the Dept in future.

After that, the application is put in a filing cabinet somewhere in the murky depths of the immigration office until such time as they can process it as all applications are processed in order they receive them. Current processing time is 18-24 months from your submission. Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to speed up the processing time, or move our applications further up the line, we just have to wait (& wait....& wait).

Sorry I can't give you anymore info, but I'm in the same boat. Good luck, chin up!

Regards,
Maria

[Fionn]

Thanks a lot for the information.
I received the reference number last Friday. I might give them a ring in a couple of times to see how everything is going. 2 years is really a long time..\\

[Fionn]

I called the department of justice today. They told me that the average processing time for naturalisation is now 30 months...It was 18 months last year..so as you see things are really improving:)
God help us

[lemon@lemon.za.net]

Hi,

Forgive my ignorance but what happens after you have received your citizenship? I mean what does it mean - benefits to you or the new country? Can you apply for a new passport then?

Thnx

Charl

[Fionn]

Hi,

it means I could become anirish citizen and therefore travel on an irish passport. You can read all the complaints that everyone is posting about the immgration, the shengen countries, etc..to realise what benefit an irish citizenship would be.

[joesoap101]

Obtaining Irish citizenship entails many benefits the main one being eligible to apply for an Irish passport. For most people this is the most important because it is very convenient to travel to just about any country worth visiting as no visa is usually required. Furthermore once you have Irish citizenship you have the right to live and work in any EU member state (naturalised citizens have to register yearly if they leave). Also Irish citizens are not subjected to immigration controls when they live in the UK and are considered 'settled' immediately. Also as an Irish citizen you dont need a passport to travel between Ireland and the UK, however, in practice, its best to have your passport although any photo ID is acceptable (convincing an immigration officer you are Irish when you dont meet the typical criteria, a passport is definately the safest option).

Another benefit of citizenship is that you are allowed to vote in all elections in Ireland, and you are allowed to be a candidate in these elections.

Finally you are entitled to Irish consular protection whilst travelling abroad.

Charl, I dont know your exact circumstances however South African citizens are required to apply to the South African government to retain their South African citizenship before acquiring another citizenship- its quite straightforward.

[Plaasjapie]

0000

[lemon@lemon.za.net]

Hi,

So what is the difference between residency and citizenship?

Thnx

Charl

[microlab]

Could you please expand on this?
Register where?

You were ordinarily resident outside Ireland (other than in public service) for a continuous period of 7 years and, without a reasonable excuse, did not register your name and a declaration of your intention to retain Irish citizenship with an Irish diplomatic mission or consular office or with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on an annual basis

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categ ... ralisation

[Plaasjapie]

0000

[joesoap101]

I assume you're referring to permanent residence- whilst this provision is still very new to Ireland, introduced as a result of EEA directives, no real permanent residence status exists here which can be compared to say a green card in the US or indefinite leave to remain in the UK... In Ireland you get further leave to remain for 5 years on application... it really is no where as secure as permanent residency. Anyway the difference between residency and citizenship is that residency can be revoked more easily and you cannot vote in general elections. Note this is a general explanation, however the idea in countries which have permanent residence is to extend the rights of citizens to residents with a few exceptions i.e. passports and voting which require citizenship.

Naturalised citizens who obtained it on the basis of Irish associations/decent need not register. However most people would not fall into this category so if you leave Ireland, be sure to register yearly.

[lemon@lemon.za.net]

OK,

So after getting a Green Card I can apply for residency after 2 years? Can I then apply for a passport or do I have to wait another 5 years to apply for citizenship and then apply for the passport?

I am a non-EU person married to a non-EU person

This is all so bloody confusing as everyone has a different opinion

thnx

Charl

[Dawie]

Could you please expand on this?
Register where?

You were ordinarily resident outside Ireland (other than in public service) for a continuous period of 7 years and, without a reasonable excuse, did not register your name and a declaration of your intention to retain Irish citizenship with an Irish diplomatic mission or consular office or with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on an annual basis

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categ ... ralisation

If you read that link it seems that once you have obtained Irish citizenship through naturalisation, you can lose it by aquiring another citizenship. That's pretty tough.

[dsab85]

Lemon,

you have to be residing in Ireland for 5 years before you can apply for citizenship. The application will then take another approx. 2 - 3 years.

If you are married to an Irish Person you can apply after 3 years, afaik. But the processing time is still the same.

Cheers,
DSAB

[Plaasjapie]

0000

[microlab]

Comprehensive world citizenship list

http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/worldsummary.html

[Christophe]

Many countries refuse to acknowledge citizenship of other countries at all.

That is true. It must be remembered though that not recognizing (or acknowledging) the citizenship of another country is very different from trying to prohibit it. Most countries probably don't actually recognize, in a formal sense, the citizenship of another country that may be possessed by one of its citizens. The thing is that the countries that are said to "allow" dual citizenship generally choose not to care if one of their citizens is also the citizen of another country.

[joesoap101]

Comprehensive world citizenship list

http://www.multiplecitizenship.com/worldsummary.html

although its a pretty comprehensive guide, the first entry I looked at was incorrect. Belgium has a 3 year residency requirement as apposed to the previous requirement of 5 years.

Anyway, there are many rules to be followed but Irish citizenship revocation is extrememly rare. In fact it is next to impossible for the Justice minister to be successful in his attempt at revocation because it can and will be challenged on constitutional grounds and he is likely to lose. Case in point, the persons who obtained citizenship through the investment in Ireland programmes are still citizens, as is the Czech criminal who had acquired Bahamian citizenship (or something along those lines)- the government has still not revoked his citizenship even though he is a major criminal.

But to be on the safe side, just try and follow the rules.

[microlab]

Yeah, I guess its few years old by now but still useful